The Twin Cities area has one of the nation's richest choral music scenes. And that is never more evident than this time of year, when most of the ensembles strut their stuff with holiday concerts. Here's a selective guide.
The granddaddy of holiday choral celebrations is VocalEssence's "Welcome Christmas." This year, the focus is on works by Italian and Italian-American composers. In honor of Dominick Argento's 85th birthday year, music from his opera "The Masque of Angels" will be featured, along with works by Menotti and Respighi, featuring soprano Maria Jette. The second half includes more familiar carols, as well as the two winners of the annual Carol Contest.
7:30 p.m. Dec. 1, Colonial Church of Edina, 6200 Colonial Way, Edina; 4 p.m. Dec. 2, Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Av. S., Mpls.; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8, Trinity Lutheran Church, 115 N. 4th St., Stillwater; 4 p.m. Dec. 9, Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Av. S., Mpls. $20-$45, 612-371-5656 www.vocalessence.org.
For their annual "What Sweeter Music," The Singers present an array of works featuring harpist Min Kim. The program includes Steve Heitzig's "Little Tree" and Abbie Betinis' setting of "In the Bleak Midwinter" along with René Clausen's "Ave Rosa" and Robert Sieving's setting of Shakespeare's "So hallow'd and so gracious is the time," as well as the world premiere of artistic director Matthew Culloton's arrangement of "Still, Still, Still."
7:30 p.m. Dec. 1, St. Olaf Catholic Church, 215 S. 8th St., Mpls.; Dec. 8, Wayzata Community Church, 125 Wayzata Blvd. E., Wayzata; 2 p.m. Dec. 9, Nativity Catholic Church, 1900 Wellesley Av., St. Paul. $10-$30, 651-917-1948, www.singersmca.org.
Ben Riggs, the new artistic director of the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus, has programmed his debut concert, "Our First Noel: A Holiday Homecoming," with an abundance of traditional carols, including "The First Noel," "I Saw Three Ships" and "Joy to the World," along with contemporary classics such as "Silver Bells" and "Christmas Time Is Here" from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." A 1582 "Gaudete!" rubs elbows with a medley of "Music From Hanukkah." And of course, there is the inevitable sprinkling of camp, as with "The Christmas Can Can" and "Our Gay Apparel."
8 p.m. Dec. 7-8, 2 p.m. Dec. 9, Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 S. 4th St., Mpls. $25-$53, 612-624-2345 or tcgmc.org.
For a truly sacred celebration of the season, National Lutheran Choir presents its "Christmas Festival -- Marvel of This Night." The program features musical treasures of the past and contemporary gems combined with poetry, scripture and congregational singing. It's an event that invites people of all faiths to engage in spiritual reflection.
