If a classic Christmas is your thing – we’re talking well before Bing Crosby – the Menno Singers may be just what you’re looking for. In the run-up to the big day, they’ll be performing a pair of traditional shows.
Next Sunday, December 14, the Menno Singers joins the choir at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Kitchener for a Christmas service of worship and song, including Rutter’s Gloria.
The following Sunday, December 21, they’re sponsoring a Messiah sing-a-long with orchestra and soloists at St. Jacobs Mennonite Church. Those in attendance are invited to join in the vocal parts if they’re so inclined.
“What is exciting about the December 14 concert is that the whole service is being recorded by CTV TV for broadcast late-night on Christmas Eve,” notes St. Jacobs Mennonite’s Mark Diller Harder, president of the Menno Singers.
“The December 21 Messiah sing-a-long will be the second time we have offered this to the community – a chance to simply come out and sing favourite Messiah choruses. We will have a little orchestra and some soloists and have lots of fun together.”
Originally performed at Lent, George Frederick Handel’s Messiah has become a staple in the Advent run-up to Christmas. Likely the most beloved oratorio in the English-speaking world, it has been a favourite since its premiere in Dublin in 1742.
The December 14 performance takes place at 3 p.m. at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 49 Queen St. N., Kitchener. Attendance is by donation. The December 21 event is set for St. Jacobs Mennonite Church, 1310 King St. N., St Jacobs. Again, attendance is by donation, with tax receipts available for donations over $20.
