Sisters choir presents Christmas concerts

The Sisters Community Choir will offer Christmas concerts to the public on Saturday, December 22, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, December 23 at 2 p.m.

Both performances will be at the Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration on Brooks Camp Road and are free of charge.

The choir, which is a community education class of Central Oregon Community College, currently numbers around 20 and is made up of both men and women. The group rehearses two hours every Monday evening and is open to any interested singers. There are no try-outs required.

This will be the choir's first performance under the baton of their new director, George Larson, who took over the position in September.

Larson, a resident of Bend, has been involved in choral music in Central Oregon as a performer in the Central Oregon Chorale, Juniper Opera Company and the Cascade Festival of Music and was the director of the Bend First Presbyterian and First United Methodist Church choirs for several years.

While pursuing post-graduate work at the University of Oregon in Eugene, he became involved in the Oregon Bach Festival and has continued to be a part of that program for the past 13 years.

As the director of the Sisters Community Choir, Larson has selected a wide range of Christmas theme music for the coming performances. The selections represent musical styles from a 13th century plainsong, "Of the Father's Love Begotten," arranged by COCC music director Clive Thompson, to the upbeat carol "Rock Him in the Manger" composed in 1993 by Kirby Shawl. Other pieces being performed include such standard Christmas carols as "The Holly and the Ivy," "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," and "Mary Had a Baby" along with Randall Thompson's setting of the poem "The Best of Rooms."

There is no charge for the concerts but, due to limited seating capacity, tickets are required for admission.

Tickets are available at the Sisters' COCC office, Cliff Scharf Silversmith or from individual choir members.