THE Hastings Choristers, under the direction of Robyn Ryan OAM, have been celebrating the true meaning of Christmas through their beautiful music for over 25 years, and this year is no exception with Cantorus choir presenting two concerts in Taree and Port Macquarie over the first weekend in December.
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The first half of the program features Vivaldi's Gloria a magnificent baroque work that truly captures the joy of the festive season while the second half contains a range of Christmas favourites, from traditional carols from round the world to calypso. Featured soloists include contralto Evelyn Chee, popular local tenor John Thompson, and rising young star Stella Hannock, who continues to captivate audiences with her pure soprano voice whenever she performs.
The Hastings Choristers are also delighted to be joined for these concerts by The Hastings Chamber Ensemble.
The ensemble was formed in 2014 by a group of music teachers from Port Macquarie, Taree and Kempsey. They meet bi-monthly to rehearse classical music and arrangements by their musical director, Carol Irving.
The group comprises of strings, wind and keyboard, and specialises in baroque repertoire. All of the members are local musicians and teachers with decades of experience and countless professional performances between them.
Hastings Choristers' Cantorus choir will be augmented by the local Kantabile Chamber Choir.
Kantabile is directed by Catherine Jeffree and has been singing together since the year 2000, primarily because its members love singing. Since that time the choir has become a proficient SATB choral group, entertaining many people across the Manning Valley and beyond.
Sharing the joy of choral music, Kantabile's repertoire includes many styles, spanning early traditional to contemporary music accompanied, a cappella and in various languages.
The concert will also feature organist Peter Kneeshaw AM. Peter is Organist Emeritus at St Mary's Cathedral and has performed widely throughout Australia and in major cathedrals overseas, including St Paul's and Westminster Cathedrals in London.
His links to the local Taree community have helped entice him to make this one-off performance.
The concert will take place at St John's Anglican Church at 2pm on Saturday, December 6 followed by an afternoon tea. Tickets will be available at the door.