Klamath Chorale to perform 'Christmas Around the World' on December 8

The Ross Ragland Theater will present the Klamath Chorale’s annual holiday choral concert, CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD, on Sunday, December 8th, at 2:00 p.m.  The 90-voice community choir is directed by Robin Schwartz and accompanied by Slippery Bill Eaton.

The all-volunteer singing group will perform songs that celebrate the joys of the holiday season in countries around the globe, including large scale choral works in unique arrangements and with special accompaniment along with solos, duets and small ensembles.  In addition, there will be a special appearance by the Ross Ragland Theater’s Rag Tag Choir, directed by Danielle Harmon.

Reserved tickets are priced at $17 for adults, plus transaction fees, with discounts available for students, seniors and members of the military.  Reserved tickets are available in advance at the Ross Ragland Theater box office during regular business hours, online at www.rrtheater.org or by calling 541-844-LIVE.  Tickets will also be sold at the door beginning at 12:00 noon on the day of the concert. 

Weekly rehearsals for the choral group’s annual holiday concert began in early September and additional rehearsals are held in the several weeks leading up to the concert. 

“This year, we adopted the theme of the annual Snowflake Festival and will celebrate Christmas around the world with music from more than a dozen different countries,” notes Robin Schwartz, who has directed the Chorale since 2009.   “It will be a concert that can be enjoyed by all ages.” 

The program for CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD will include a wide range of music appropriate to the season, with choral music from such countries England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Norway, Austria and Germany along with holiday music from Africa and, of course, the United States. 

The concert includes a number of popular holiday songs in special arrangements, including “Joy To The World,” “Jingle Bells,” “Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella,” “O Tannenbaum,” “Up On The Housetop,” “Let There Be Peace On Earth” and “We Wish You The Merriest,” among many others.

The RRT’s Rag Tag Choir will join with the Klamath Chorale at the beginning of Act II to perform “Christmastime” followed by two of its own choral numbers, accompanied by Suzanne Stewart. 

Other works on the program include “Christmas In Killarney,” “Jamaican Noel,” “Erev Shel Shoshanim,” “Baroque Christmas Festival,” “One Light,” “Domine Fili Unigenite,” “Riu, Riu, Chiu” and “Somebody Build A Manger,” among various others.

Several of the musical selections will feature instrumental accompaniment and the concert will, as always, include various solos, duets and ensembles.

The Klamath Chorale was formed in 1979 as the Klamath Symphonic Choir and has performed one or two concerts each year ever since.  It is the largest all-volunteer choir in the Klamath Basin, having grown from 40 members to over 90 members in recent years, and is made up of people who love to sing choral music.  Seasonal dues help defray the cost of purchasing music and presenting concerts. 

The Chorale’s director, Robin Schwartz, is a well-known performer and popular vocal soloist and is an instructor and choir director at O.I.T. He is also the director of music for BBC Ministries.

The long-time accompanist for the Chorale, Bill “Slippery” Eaton, is also well-known locally as a director of musical theatre and for a wide variety of special musical events.  He has directed and been musically involved in productions at both the Ross Ragland Theater and at the Linkville Playhouse and at many other venues in and around the Klamath Basin. 

For more information about the concert, which will be approximately two hours long, telephone Charles Cossey, the production coordinator, at 541-884-8484.