OBU Music Preparatory Choirs to Present Christmas Concert Dec. 4

The Music Preparatory Department choirs at Oklahoma Baptist University will present a Christmas Concert Sunday, December 4, at 3 p.m. in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium. Performing groups include Discovery Singers, Shawnee Honor Choir, and the Concert Choir. This is the 16th year the choirs will present a combined Christmas concert. The event is free and open to the public. 

The youngest choir, Discovery Singers, under the direction of Ashley Pierce, will open the program with “Fa, La, La, La, La,” an arrangement of traditional carols by J. Paul Williams and Craig Curry. They will then perform “Sweet Little Baby” by Ashley Pierce along with “A Baby in a Manger,” “Gloria!” and “Christmas Bells are Ringing” by J. Paul Williams and Patti Drennan.

In its 34th year, Shawnee Honor Choir, an auditioned group of third through seventh graders conducted by Conchita Hansford, will continue the program with “Sing We Alleluia” by Jay Althouse. They will then perform “Jesus Child” by John Rutter. Other selections include “Rocking Song” by Dave and Jean Perry; “Joy in Judea” by David Davenport and Ruth Elaine Schram; “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,” a Robert Frost poem arranged by Vera Kistler; and “Cold Snap” by Mark Hayes.

Orff instrumentalists will perform “Festive Bells” by Bradley Bonner. These student performers include Kaitlyn Duran, Littie White and Chiara Carpenter on soprano glockenspiels; Estelle Lilite, alto glockenspiel; Autumn Morris and Clara Timmons on soprano xylophones; Gabe Llanas, Katie Perdue and Calloway Burnett on alto xylophones; Olivia white, soprano metallophone; Sydnie Barry, alto metallophone; Kayla Webb, bass xylophone; Libby Isenhower, bass metallophone; and Kelby Vass, bass bars.

The Shawnee Honor Choir will conclude their portion of the concert with an audience sing-a-long of Christmas carols accompanied by hand chimes. Hand chime performers include Riley Barker, Camille Blakemore, Sophia Canaga, Riley Cox-Madden, Jenevieve Gay, Natalie Galloway, Camryn Green, Cheyenne Haynes, Dax Hickman, Kate Jennings, Kalyn Jones, Keylee Landes, Mary Lytle, Brooklyn Malouf, Sarah Mashek, Karsyn McDonald, Garrett McDonald, Bailey Morris, Emilee Prater, Billie Richardson, Chrissy Richardson, Caden Romine, Nate Smith, Hope Streater, Alexis Walker, and Jordan Winter.

The Concert Choir of high school students, directed by Dr. Louima Lilite, will perform “If”  by Mark Patterson; “Who Is This Tiny Babe?” by Suzanne Lord; “Make Us One” by Carol Cymbala; “Ding Dong! Merrily on High” arranged by Howard Cable, and “Sing We Now of Christmas,” a traditional French Carol arranged by L. Lilite.

“Night of Silence,” Daniel Kantor’s partner song with “Silent Night,” will be performed by the combined choirs.  Soloists for “Night of Silence” include Keylee Landes, Estelle Lilite and Kaitlyn Duran. The joint choirs will close the program with a traditional round, “Merry Christmas to You All.”

For the 27th consecutive year, Shawnee Honor Choir will present its Christmas program in area schools. On Tuesday, Nov. 29, the choir will perform at Family of Faith, Sequoyah, and North Rock Creek.  On Friday, Dec. 2, the choir will perform at Dale, Pleasant Grove, Grove and Sterling House, an assisted living facility.

Auditions are open for students to join the choirs in January. For more information, visit the Prep Department webpage, call (405) 585-4329 or email prep@okbu.edu.