With its annual Christmas in Concert performance, Koinonia Christian Fellowship captivated audiences for two nights of holiday performances last weekend.
For many years Koinonia was known for putting on elaborate musical theatre productions, but in recent years organizers have changed things up with more concerts. This is the fourth year for Christmas in Concert, which sees dancers, singers and a slew of volunteers bringing holiday favourites to the stage with a choir and select acts.
“It’s very exciting to see it all come together,” producer Kathryn Hofer said of the show.
Starting with some upbeat tunes and continuing to more somber renditions like the ‘Huron Carol,’ acts were chosen to fit a wide range of holiday tastes, Hofer explained. Every year organizers strive to offer a good mix of light entertainment interwoven with more serious themes and Christmas traditions like a carol sing with the audience.
“We’ve never actually repeated any music, from any of our four years. We’ve done all new music.”
Among favorites that are engineered to sound fresh and interesting, Hofer says, are holiday originals like ‘The Heart of Christmas’ by Matthew West which was performed near the end of the night.
This year the free two-day production continued to put bodies in seats with Sunday’s show operating at full capacity and the whole weekend earning a standing ovation from more than 2,900 people, an increase from last year’s turnout of 2,500 audience members.
Planning for shows starts in January and the long audition process commences in September when staff chooses from a large number of willing performers.
“I wish I had my survey cards in front of me,” Hofer said of the feedback she has received.
“People just love that it puts them in the Christmas spirit, that’s probably the biggest thing you get when people are leaving [at the end].”
