Naperville Chorus Performs Carols Dec. 18

The Naperville Chorus performs an evening of carols and stories told through song Dec. 18 at North Central College.

The performance begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, in the College's Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. Tickets are $20/adults and $15/students and senior citizens; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW (7469) or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.

The evening's program includes "A Ceremony of Carols" by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) and "Carols and Lullabies" by American composer Conrad Susa. The 135-member chorus is conducted by Jeordano Martinez, professor of music at North Central College, and will be accompanied by harp, guitar and marimba.

"A Ceremony of Carols" is a fusion of 15th and 16th century poems set to 20th century music. Britten began composing the work while returning to England from Canada through the treacherous North Sea at during World War II. "Ceremony" consists of 11 movements, with original Middle English text from "The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems" by Gerald Bullett.

"The music reflects both the sensitivity to the style of the time as well as modern harmonies," Martinez says.

Susa's "Carols and Lullabies" was created as a companion piece to "A Ceremony of Carols." The work is a Nativity celebration of the Americas that adds guitar and marimba to Britten's harp and includes a medley of traditional carols from Spain, Mexico and Puerto Rico. "Carols and Lullabies" was commissioned by and dedicated to Philip Brunelle and the Plymouth Music Series of Minnesota. The piece premiered in 1992 at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis.

North Central College's 2010-2011 Sesquicentennial Fine & Performing Arts Season is supported by a generous grant from the Illinois Arts Council. USG Corporation and Navistar, Inc. are underwriting sponsors.

The exhibit is among many ongoing programs at North Central College to enrich and broaden the cultural and academic outlook for the College and community. For a comprehensive schedule of musical performances, theatrical and dance productions, art exhibits and lectures, visit northcentralcollege.edu/show or call the box office at 630-637-SHOW (7469).