This year’s Singing Christmas Tree program, “A Child’s Christmas,” will recall Christmas from the perspective of children, including traditional carols, contemporary holiday favorites, and selections from the motion picture Home Alone.
Audience members will also enjoy familiar Christmas songs performed barbershop style by the Cantabile Choir, as well as a French carol considered by many to be the inspiration for “The Little Drummer Boy.”
Complete with choreography by the training choirs, a decorated stage, and a visit from Santa Claus, the 2005 Singing Christmas Tree is the way to start the holiday season, said officials.
During the 2005 Singing Christmas Tree, the Chattanooga Boys Choir will also perform the eastern United States debut of What do I want for Christmas? This energetic piece for treble choir was written by Americanborn composer, pianist, and music publisher Jean Hasse, who now resides in London, England. It is a piece which relates the plight of a young boy who begs his parents for drums. The choristers make drum noises in the piece, which is written with irregular meters, large dynamic contrasts, and vocal glissandos.
This year, the Chattanooga Boys Choir will be joined by the CSO Youth Orchestra, conducted by Gary Wilkes, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chamber Singers, conducted by Kevin Ford. Lindsay Fussell again joins the choir to help craft the on-stage choreography by the Chattanooga Boys Choir training choirs.
Two school performances will take place at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2. There will be two community performances at the Tivoli Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 3, one at 2 p.m. and one at
7:30 p.m.
Tickets for the community performances go on sale at the Chattanooga Boys Choir office on Nov. 1. Call the office at 622-3033 to purchase tickets.