Kirkland Choral Society’s (KCS) annual holiday concerts take place at Bastyr University Chapel in Kenmore at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 and again at 3 p.m. on Dec. 4. KCS, with more than 100 members, will be joined once again by Philharmonia Northwest orchestra for a performance of the first cantata of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Franz Biebl’s Ave Maria, and more, under the direction of Dr. Glenn Gregg.
KCS’ Holiday Concert, in the setting and acoustics of Bastyr Chapel, has grown into an annual tradition for many. Last year’s concert sold out more than three weeks before the event, prompting the addition of a second Saturday-night concert this year, with hopes to better serve the listening public.
“We are honored to be returning to Bastyr for our 15th year,” Gregg said. “This year’s concert marks the start of a new project, as we will perform each of the six cantatas in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio over the next several seasons.”
This is the fifth season of collaboration between Kirkland Choral Society and Philharmonia Northwest. Gregg said, “KCS is continuing to evolve as a symphonic choir. Our partnership with Philharmonia Northwest has allowed us to perform many orchestral choral works that would have been difficult or impossible to do without them.”
In March of 2017, KCS and Philharmonia Northwest will again join forces, in Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, for a concert featuring another Bach… but this time, it’s the lighthearted and humorous music of PDQ Bach (a.k.a. Dr. Peter Schickele).
For this year’s holiday concert, in addition to the Bach cantata and Biebl’s Ave Maria, the chorus will also be performing a selection of other traditional German holiday music by Hammerschmidt, Mendelssohn, and Nicolai, as well as several traditional German carols, including Stille Nacht (Silent Night), still the most popular carol in Germany two centuries after it was written. The concert will close with a new medley of popular holiday songs by local composer Reginald Unterseher.
“Our theme this year focuses on German Christmas, so we have traditional German holiday music and carols,” Gregg said. “Many contemporary Christmas traditions, such as Christmas trees and Advent calendars, have their roots in German traditions. We are also considering focusing on different countries such as Russia, Spain, and England for future Christmas concerts.”
Individual and season tickets for Kirkland Choral Society concerts are available through Brown Paper Tickets, by email at tickets@ KirklandChoralSociety.org, or by calling (425) 442-9240.
