‘The Marvel of this Night’ taking place at Church of the Redeemer

The second concert in the 2017-2018 Redeemer Recital series will take place on Sunday, Dec. 17, at 3 p.m. at the Church of the Redeemer located at 201 S. Wilbur Ave. in Sayre, Pa. 

The program will be similar to the Christmas program and community sing-along presented last December, but they are hopeful this year there will not be huge snowstorm the day of the recital. 

The brass and organ Christmas concert originally scheduled for this date had to be postponed because the pipe organ at the church was heavily damaged during a roof replacement project and will not be available. 

Concerts in this series are all free and open to the public. 

As with last year’s recital, they will be gathering as a community, not just to hear the carols, but to also to experience the magic of music shared as they all join together in singing.  

To help celebrate, they welcome soloists Debra and Arianna Lauper, sopranos, Michele Gordon, flute, and Charlotte Cook, this year on piano alone. The concert will open with a program of Christmas music presented by the soloists, including such favorites as “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice,” “Coventry Carol,” and “We Need a Little Christmas,” as well as the lesser-known “Carol of the Birds” and “Before the Marvel of this Night.” 

Following the “formal” part of the program and joined by the soloists, members of the audience will be invited to choose their favorite carols to sing together – or clap rhythms, or dance. So, if you enjoy singing Christmas carols with others who love to sing, here is your chance.  

Bring your best singing voice (listeners are welcome too) for a time of fun and fellowship as you enjoy a preview of the joyful music of Christmas. They will gather first in the pews, then later at the piano for the Sing-Along, and finally adjourn to the parlor for snacks. 

Just prior to the program, a brief festive concert of Christmas carols will be played on the church’s carillon. 

The next recital in the current series is on March 4, 2018 at 3 p.m. It features the Cantata Singers, directed by Will Wickham and accompanied by string orchestra, harp, and organ presenting the music of Breesport native Dan Forrest. The Cantata Singers were founded in Elmira in 1964 as a community-based choral organization whose mission is to provide high quality performances of great music for the entertainment and education of their audiences and singers.