Chorale to present concerts

Mark your holiday calendars for the annual Christmas concerts offered by the Sisters High Desert Chorale the second weekend in December.

Under the direction of Irene Liden, the choir has been practicing all fall to prepare for their performances on Friday, December 12 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, December 14 at 2:30 p.m. Both concerts will be held at Sisters Community Church at 1300 W. McKenzie Hwy. (Highway 242).

The music this year includes a wide variety of seasonal pieces from the traditional carol "What Child is This?" to the spiritual "The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy" to a contemporary piece titled "The Ground," sung in Latin.

In addition to the music by the 56-member chorale, the High Desert Bell Choir, under the direction of Lola Knox, will perform several seasonal offerings. Making their concert debut will be the 17-member Sisters Children's Choir made up of kindergarten through second-grade singers, under the guidance of Knox. We Three Strings, an instrumental trio of violin, viola and cello, will also perform. At the conclusion of the concerts, audience members will have the opportunity to join in a sing-along.

During the intermission audience members are invited to sample Christmas treats prepared by choir members and chat with friends and neighbors. There is no admission charge for the concert, and a free-will offering will be taken.

Members of the chorale, which began when two smaller choirs merged in 2008, used to hail only from Sisters, but there are currently additional members from Crooked River Ranch, Bend, Terrebonne, Eagle Crest and Redmond. The choir is an all-volunteer organization, including Liden's directing, and members pay a small fee each year to help with the costs of purchasing music and paying for the services of accompanist, Donna Moyer.

After the holidays, the choir will begin their Monday evening practices again at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in preparation for their spring concerts in May. The music for spring usually includes more popular tunes and some musical theater numbers.

The only requirement for membership is a love of singing and ability to carry a tune. There are no auditions. Anyone interested in joining the choir in January may call Liden at 541-549-1037.