Enjoy a Christmas fantasia of song and carols

The Hamilton Civic Choir invites everyone who loves to hear— and sing— a carol or two to take a break from shopping madness and join them for A Christmas

Fantasia at St. Peter’s Cathedral on Saturday, December 17.

The concert takes its title from Ralph Vaughan- William’s

Fantasia on Christmas Carols, a suite of well- known carols arranged for choir, organ, cello and soloist. But this is just one of the beautiful pieces in this concert programme.

Musical director Timothy Carpenter, who took up the baton at the Civic Choir in February, has chosen a feast of festive music for this concert, including a lovely Russian Ave

Maria by Rachmaninov, Mendelsohn’s joyful Weihnachten, the Latin O

Magnum Mysterium, Sumsion’s The Holy Birth and several traditional carols given bright new arrangements by American, British and New Zealand composers.

The soloist is Hamilton baritone Jonathan Eyers, who has just completed Bachelor degree studies in Performance Voice in the Music Department at The University of Waikato where he was a Hilary scholar. He is currently a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir and says a highlight of 2016 was touring with the choir to Europe, where they sang in the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris and competed in the International Festival of Academic Choirs, taking gold in all categories they competed in as well as the overall grand prize.

Jonathan has performed leading roles in many of the opera productions and concerts staged by the music department at the University of Waikato, most recently in the launch of the new opera Flowing Water, a collaboration between wellknown writer Witi Ihimaera and local composer Janet Jennings.

Jonathan has sung with the choir in many previous concerts and was joint winner of the Civic Choir’s Associate Artist Award in 2015. Audience members will have the opportunity to join with the choir for a rousing singalong of some favourite carols before continuing the Christmas spirit at a post- concert supper featuring Christmas mince pies and shortbread.

A Christmas Fantasia is on December 17 at 7.30 pm at St Peter’s Cathedral, 51 Victoria Street. Tickets $ 25 from Kath, phone 855 0762.