Chor Leoni: Christmas with Chor Leoni
Vancouver, BC – Chor Leoni celebrates the coming of winter and the anticipated holiday season with its annual Yuletide tradition, Christmas with Chor Leoni, on December 19 at 7:30pm, December 20 at 5pm & 8pm, and December 21 at 2pm, 5pm & 8pm at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United (1022 Nelson St). Nestled in the warmth and beauty of one of Vancouver’s most striking historic venues, Chor Leoni returns with a welcoming program of cherished melodies, modern carols, and reimagined folk classics, performed by one of Canada’s most awarded choirs.
“The wish for Christmas with Chor Leoni is to create a space where music can make deep and cherished holiday memories live in the moment, where all who listen might connect to the sound of Chor Leoni as well as with one another, and where the joy and the hope of the season can spill out of the illuminated sanctuary of St. Andrew’s-Wesley to bring light and life to the world,” says Erick Lichte, Artistic Director of Chor Leoni.
Featuring a diverse program where beloved carols stand side by side with rollicking holiday folk music and ancient chants flow into modern classics – from O Come Emmanuel, Silent Night, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, and Ron Sexsmith’s Maybe This Christmas – the concert opens the floodgates to joy, comfort and light. An immersive experience, audiences will be transported to a winter wonderland with the atmospheric illumination of St. Andrew’s-Wesley United, and breathtaking acoustics that create a surround sound singing experience unique to this intimate, yet grand, Christmas musical event.
The concert will be rounded out with the world premieres of two new arrangements, breathing new life and dimension into some of the most performed Christmas carols in churches and concert halls around the world, including Joy to the World and Angels We Have Heard On High, which reimagines the French carol into a symphonic Irish jig.
Chor Leoni will be joined by Vancouver-based musical guests, including pianists, Tina Chang and Karen-Lee Morlang, violinist Cameron Wilson, bassist Laurence Mollerup, and guitarist Keith Sinclair.
About Chor Leoni (chorleoni.org)
Known internationally and loved locally, JUNO-nominated Chor Leoni is recognized as one of the vanguard vocal ensembles in North America. Founded by the late choral luminary Diane Loomer and now led by Artistic Director Erick Lichte, Vancouver’s Singing Lions have enriched and transformed people’s lives through singing for thirty years. With stylistic grace and an adventurous spirit, Chor Leoni performs in many languages, styles and genres, always aiming to communicate, engage, and entertain.
