ARS HOLIDAY SEASON “PEACE AND JOY”

Tucson, AZ. — For their holiday concerts this year, the Arizona Repertory Singers are highlighting the timeless themes of the season—Peace and Joy. The engaging program of 16 choral works ranges from contemplative to exuberant and includes traditional carols, well-known standards, and contemporary compositions.

An updated rendition of “Angels We Have Heard on High,” arranged by American composer, pianist, and teacher Dan Forrest and accompanied by string quartet, soars in unexpected directions, reinvigorating the carol many know from childhood. The classic “Deck the Hall,” based on a 16th-century Welsh melody, still stirs and delights; in this version, arranged by renowned English composer and conductor John Rutter, the lively melody grows more powerful as it passes from section to section.

Among the slower tempo songs, the warm and inviting “Lux Aurumque” by Grammy-winning American composer and conductor Eric Whitacre takes the Latin translation of the poem “Light and Gold” and sets it among bright cluster chords and shimmering harmonies. In addition, “Silent Night” receives lovely and lush treatment in an arrangement by long-time ARS music director Jeffry Jahn, who died unexpectedly in 2015; here, Phillips directs ARS in this holiday hymn for the first time, honoring his influential and much-missed predecessor.

The program also includes two compositions from the other side of the world, both accompanied by djembe. Sung in Sesotho and originated by the Soweto Gospel Choir, “Hlohonofatsa” is an invocation to “bless everything…” and features echoing soloists; it is arranged by conductor and professor Daniel Jackson. The critically acclaimed “Baba Yetu,” a syncopated Swahili adaptation of the Lord’s Prayer by American composer Christopher Tin, has the distinction of being the first song from a video game (Civilization IV) to win a Grammy (2011).

“In Dulce Jubilo (In Sweet Rejoicing),” by German composer and organist Michael Praetorius, a Renaissance double-choir piece—eight parts!—that builds in complexity and contrast throughout;

the raw and rhythmic strains of “The Word Was God” by Rosephanye Powell, prolific, composer, educator, and scholar of Black spirituals, that grows in intensity with each verse;

and, in a jazzy arrangement from Los Angeles-based vocalist, conductor, and lecturer Christine Helferich Guter, the ever-popular and energetic “Dreidel Song” that spins along like the Hanukkah toy it playfully imitates.

Mark your calendars now to celebrate the Peace and Joy of the holidays with the Arizona Repertory Singers and other music lovers. “The core of choral music is community, all those voices and parts coming together,” says ARS music director Ryan Phillips, “and each time we perform, that community expands to include the audience and all the people they touch as well.”

CONCERT SCHEDULE

Sunday, December 7 at 
4:00 pm
 St. Mark Catholic Church, 2727 W. Tangerine Road, Oro Valley

Saturday, December 13
 at 3:00 pm
 Christ Church United Methodist, 666 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson

Sunday, December 14
 at 3:00 pm
 Christ Church United Methodist, 666 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson

Tickets are available in advance at arsingers.org. Prices are $22 in advance and $25 at the door. Students are admitted free with ID.