A Jefferson City holiday tradition will return Dec. 7 with the Cantorum's 52nd annual Christmas concert, "Sounds of the Season."
This annual concert features the talents of local singers who will take on a wide range of holiday selections, including Christmas favorites such as a medley of "We Need a Little Christmas" and "Let It Snow," as well as at least one Hebrew song "Bashana Haba'ah," which means "Next Year." Nancy Waggoner, associate director of the Jefferson City Cantorum, said in an email that a smaller group of Cantorum singers also will perform the spiritual "Mary Had A Baby" and "What Sweeter Music."
In full, the Cantorum features 60 singers performing under musical director Suzanne Barner Kitchen and accompanied by pianist Jan Houser. Students of the Jan Houser Piano Studio will play in the atrium starting at 6 p.m., when doors open before the 7 p.m. show. Other instrumentalists include Tamara Kitchen Havilan and Julie Carr McDonald on violin, Janet Mengwasser on viola, Bonnie Verdot on string bass and Matt Musselman on percussion. Waggoner said a Cantorum member, Samantha Crabill, will play clarinet for two songs.
In addition to the concert, Waggoner said the group will be auctioning off a music-themed, hand-crafted quilt made by Gayle Unruh, a Cantorum member. The auction will take place during intermission and proceeds will go to the J. Patrick Healey scholarship fund, which is awarded annually to a graduating senior during the Cantorum's spring concert. Healey was one of the Cantorum's founders, along with Grayson Peters, who put the group together as a mixed double quartet in 1967.
The quilt will be on display in the atrium of the Miller Performing Arts Center starting at 6 p.m. that night.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for those 18 and under, and $8 for those 65 and older. Family ticket packets for three to five immediate family members are available for $25. Advance tickets can be purchased at Samuel's Tuxedos and Gifts, Central Bank West, Hawthorn Bank East, Capital Music or from Cantorum members. Tickets purchased at the door will be $2 more.
The concert is set for 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Miller Performing Arts Center, 501 Madison St. For more information on the Cantorum or the auction, or to purchase tickets, visit jeffersoncitycantorum.com or call 573-230-2715.