Christmas is coming early to Old North Church — at least for anyone who likes to sing.
The Old North Festival Chorus is gearing up for its 46th annual holiday concerts and inviting experienced singers, including high school students, to join the tradition.
Rehearsals begin Wednesday, Sept. 30, in the Old North sanctuary, with registration at 7 p.m. and singing starting at 7:30 p.m.
Maria van Kalken, director of the Festival Chorus and Orchestra and Old North’s minister of music, will mark her 38th season leading the ensemble.
This year’s program stretches from Bach and 18th-century sacred music to spirituals, jazz and a musical romp through “The 12 Days of Christmas.”
The centerpiece will be Giovanni Alberto Ristori’s “Christmas Mass,” written by the Italian composer and contemporary of Vivaldi. The chorus will also perform excerpts from J.S. Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio.”
To mark America’s 250th anniversary, the program will feature works by American composers and arrangers, culminating in Craig Courtney’s “A Musicological Journey Through the 12 Days of Christmas.” Traditional holiday music and audience singalongs will round out the concerts, accompanied by the Old North Festival Orchestra.
Returning soloists include sopranos Anne Burgett and Holly Cameron and tenor Kevin Hayden. Auditions are underway for a bass-baritone section leader and soloist.
Chorus members do not need to audition, though some singing experience is expected. Students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to join.
Rehearsals will be held Wednesdays from 7:30-9 p.m., running later as the concerts approach.
Performances are Saturday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
For more information, visit oldnorthfestivalchorus.org.
