The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Oneida Area Civic Chorale set to perform Dec. 8
People will be able to enjoy “How Great Our Joy!”, a collection of traditional carols, on Sunday, Dec. 8.
The performance will be by the Oneida Area Civic Chorale. It will begin at 4 p.m. at Oneida High School.
The Chorale, a 105-voice community chorus under the direction of Kimberly Nethaway, of Rome, will be accompanied by piano, string quartet, flute and percussion and joined by Chorale soloists.
According to a news release, the concert program will consist of fourteen well-known songs of the season, including several arranged by American composer Dan Forrest. Dr. Forrest is a pianist turned composer/arranger whose music has established a lasting presence in the U.S. and abroad. His music has been broadcast on NPR’s “Performance Today,” and has been performed in leading venues across the country and around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, spanning a wide spectrum of genres and difficulty. Forrest-arranged pieces for the concert include “Silent Night, “A Shephard’s Carol”, and “Angels From The Realms of Glory”.
Several of the concert numbers will feature soloists from the Chorale. Melissa Halladay, of Canastota, will solo on “Breath of Heaven” by Amy Grant and Chris Eaton, and “The Huron Carol”, arranged by Dan Forrest will feature Sarah Terrell of Sherrill. Kathy Gay, of Oneida Castle, will perform “Dear Little Stranger” by Charles Gabriel, and Steve Fisher, of Canastota, will solo on “Good People All, This Christmastime”, arrangement by Eugene Butler.
Piano accompaniment will be provided by Heather O’Connell, of Oneida, and Bernadette Van-Valkenburg, of Sherrill, whowill be featured on the “four-hand” accompaniment to “O Come All Ye Faithful”, as arranged by Dan Forrest.
The Chorale will also be accompanied by a string quartet featuring principal violinist Michael Cleveland of Marcy, violinist Olga Megedyn, of Utica, violist Anne Hegel, of Manlius, and cellist Ruth Berry, of Hamilton. They will also perform
their own pieces including “La Rejouissance” by Handel, “Farandole” from L’Arlesienne, Suite Number 2 by Bizet, and “Meditation” from the ballet Thais by Massenet.
Select numbers will also be accompanied by percussionist Elizabeth Easson, of Syracuse, and Chorale member Amanda Yeoman, of Oneida, on flute.
Tickets for the concert are $10, available from Chorale members, at W. J. Hinman Jewelers, 115 Main St., Oneida, and by calling 315-655-3007.
For more information, call 315-761-9701 and visit www.oneidachorale.org.