Collegiate Singers and Chamber Choir to Present "Glad Tidings"

"Glad Tidings," a concert of seasonal music by the Fairmont State University Collegiate Singers and Chamber Choir, conducted by Dr. Sam Spears, will be presented in the Turley Center Ballroom at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9. 

John Morrison will accompany on piano and the featured artist, Dr. Patrick Joyce, will perform on guitar. Admission to the concert is free and open to the public.

The Collegiate Singers will open the concert with the 14^th century Christmas hymn, "Resonet in Laudibus," set to new music by contemporary composer Z. Randall Stroope.  The hymn will be followed by another Christmas hymn with ancient roots, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." The Singers will end their section of the concert with three traditional Carols of French Canada, arranged by Louis Applebaum. 

Opening the next portion of the concert, the Chamber Choir will perform music by two 16^th century Spanish composers: "a villancico" by Francisco Guerrero: "Nio Dios d'amor herido"  and, from Guerrero's teacher, Cristbal de Morales, a Latin motet, "Ecce Virgo concipiet."

Next, the Choir will sing two of the best-known Christmas chorales by Michael Praetorius, "Psallite" and "Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen."

The last three selections by the Chamber Choir will be more familiar holiday fare: a jazzy arrangement by Tom Shellenberger of "Joy to the World," an unusual arrangement of "Away in a Manger" by Bradley Ellingboe, combining both its British and its American melodies, and an upbeat version of the traditional spiritual "Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow."

For the next portion of the concert, the Collegiate Singers will return with two songs featuring Dr. Patrick Joyce on guitar, "What Sweeter Music," a setting of a poem by 17^th  century English poet Robert Herrick, and the well-known Spanish carol, "A La Nanita Nana."

The Singers will then perform a familiar arrangement of the holiday classic "Carol of the Bells" by Peter J. Wilhousky, followed by the Hebrew folk song, "Hine Ma Tov," arranged by Neil Ginsberg and featuring Sarah Watkins on flute. They will close with two popular pieces, the 1948 orchestral version of Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" and a down-tempo version of the traditional carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Finally, the audience will be invited to join with the choirs in singing several traditional holiday songs.