ECOC to join with Kemmerer Community Choir for Handel's Messiah 2018

The Evanston Civic Chorus is happy to collaborate with the Kemmerer Community Choir and the Evanston Civic Orchestra for this year's performance of Handel's Messiah. Both the Kemmerer performance on December 1st and the Evanston performance on December 3rd are free.  Note that in Kemmerer the start time is 6:00 p.m. and in Evanston it is 7:00 p.m.  Refreshments will be served.


by Sara

Rehearsals for Handel's Messiah 2016 start soon - September 22nd

The Evanston Civic Chorus us excited to be collaborating with the Evanston Civic Orchestra and the Kemmerer Community Choir for a production of Handel's Messiah in December.

Our first rehearsal will be at Davis Middle School on Thursday, September 22nd from 6-8 p.m.

All community members, high school age and older, are welcome to come sing, regardless of prior experience.

You can get by with a Schirmers vocal score, but the preferred edition is the Van Camp score.  Read about it on our Messiah in Evanston website.


by Sara

Fall rehearsals start on Oct 8th

We're starting fall rehearsals on October 8th.  Mark your calendar!  We'll continue on most Thursdays until the Evanston Community Christmas Gala concert on Sunday, December 13th.  Everyone is welcome to come sing with us.  See you soon!


by Sara

Community Christmas Gala 2013 a Great Success!

"We Need a Little Christmas"

Our recent Christmas Gala was a huge success.  I have only heard great comments about it.  People never felt anxious about the time even though it was close to an hour and a half in length.  We had a great variety of performances from the Evanston Civic Chorus, the Evanston Civic Orchestra, the Evanston Handbell Choir and other small instrumental and vocal ensembles. 

Evanston Handbell Choir

"Silent Night"

Check out the VIDEOS taken by Allen and the PICTURES taken by Glen

by Sara

The Civic Chorus is excited to be hosting the 4th biennial Evanston Community Christmas Gala concert with the Civic Orchestra this year.  We're going to be singing cool arrangements of several Christmas favorites.  The blues arrangement of "Silent Night" is not your typical lullaby.  Be prepared for dynamics and soul.  "We Need a Little Christmas" is exciting and fast, and our Chorus/Orchestra combined song, "Christmas Day" by Gustav Holst, though unique in its arrangement of traditional carols, will sound familiar. 

We're excited to have other groups from the community performing also.

I hope to see you with your families on December 15th!

by Sara

Messiah 2012 - A Great Experience

Messiah 2012

Our recent performance of Handel's Messiah was a great experience for all involved.  We enjoyed our collaboration with the Evanston Civic Orchestra, the soloists were wonderful, and the audience was very appreciative. 

Thanks to Allen for taking photos and video.

by Sara

Messiah Performance This Sunday, Dec. 16th

Wow!  This fall has gone by so fast.  The Chorus has had a great time rehearsing Messiah with Ryan North, and we're looking forward to our performance this Sunday.
 

G.F. Handel's Messiah

Sunday, Dec. 16th

6:00 p.m.

Davis Middle School

Free admission

Refreshments will be served following the program



It's a real treat for a chorus to sing accompanied by an orchestra, and we're excited to be working with the Evanston Civic Orchestra for this program.  We had our first combined rehearsal with them last week, and they are sounding great!

The chorus will sing several familiar songs, such as "And the Glory of the Lord" and "Hallelujah."  In addition, several soloists are lined up to perform:  Eric P., Todd B., April M., Clarissa C., Rebekah M., Bethany L., Jessica S., Crystal R. and Jonathan L.  The program will last a little over an hour.

If you aren't performing with us on Sunday, we hope you'll come listen and be inspired by the music and the message. 

by Sara

ECC Fall Program - Handel's Messiah

For its fall 2012 program, the Evanston Civic Chorus will join with the Evanston Civic Orchestra to perform Handel's Messiah on Sunday, December 16, 2012.  All community members are invited to join the Chorus for this event, even if you've never sung Messiah before. 

Rehearsals will be on Thursdays from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Davis Middle School, starting on September 20th.  Ryan North will direct the Chorus for this event.  You can read a little about him and find out more about the program, including solos to be auditioned, on the Evanston Messiah website.  Check the website often and sign up for posts by e-mail to get updated information as it becomes available.  I won't be posting any more Messiah-related information to the ECC website until performance time.

by Sara

Christmas Gala 2011 a Big Hit!

Jonathan Lange - Stille Nacht

St. Paul's Episcopal Church Choir

I keep hearing great compliments about the Community Christmas Gala that we hosted on Sunday, December 18th.  We had a great crowd, and though there were eighteen songs performed, I never felt as though the audience was getting restless.  The applause after every song was genuine and enthusiastic.  The stage setup really helped the concert flow very smoothly and it lasted well under an hour and a half.

Snowy Mountain Brass

We had a nice variety of songs and groups at the concert.  Our ECC feature, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" was fun and unexpected.  Pastor Robert Douglas, from the Aspen Grove SBC Church, livened it up a bit with his solo "Mary, Did You Know," and the audience participation when they sang "Go Tell It on the Mountain" was a great idea.  Jonathan Lange sang the beautiful "Stille Nacht" in the original German, and the Snowy Mountain Brass quartet gave us a nice medley of traditional Christmas songs.  The LDS 7th Ward Choir was one of several choral groups, and there were also several vocal solos and duets.  Take a look at videos and photos of the concert to see all the groups involved. 

"O Holy Night"

The grand finale of the concert was the beautiful, "O Holy Night," performed by the combined choirs and the orchestra.  It really came together very well, and several people told me that was their favorite song of the concert.  Several church choral groups joined with the Civic Chorus for the performance, and the energy and sound from this large group was exhilarating for those on stage as well as in the audience.  ECC Director, Kirk Young, directed the performance.  He says he had the best "seat" in the house.  The Civic Orchestra did an excellent job, and it was a treat for the choirs to sing with them.  Thanks to Stephen Fairbanks for rehearsing them.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this concert possible and for all the musicians who performed.  This was truly a great community event.

by Sara

A Season of Concerts - Gala Up Next

This truly is a season of concerts, and the Evanston Civic Chorus is gearing up for its final performance of the year this Sunday when it hosts the Evanston Community Christmas Gala.  We're pretty excited about the concert.  We've got several church music groups in the lineup along with several vocal ensembles, brass and flute choirs, and the Civic Orchestra.  Here are the details:

Evanston Community Christmas Gala

Sunday, December 18, 2011

7:00 p.m.

Davis Middle School

Free Admission

Kirk has designed the stage setup to eliminate set changes between songs.  We anticipate the concert will flow very smoothly.  It'll be a great event for families.

Chorus members performed recently in a couple of Christmas events.  On December 1st we were in the Parade of Lights.  It was absolutely frigid and windy that evening, but we still had a great time singing as loud as we could from our trailer "float."  Kirk dressed as Santa.  I thought that was a pretty clever way to get another warm layer on.  Thanks to Deb for arranging for our parade transportation.

Last Sunday, Chorus members joined with the LDS Evanston South Stake Choir to sing "O Holy Night" during their Christmas musical program.  It turned out to be a great experience from both perspectives.  Chorus members enjoyed participating and appreciated the invitation.  Since I was involved in the Stake Choir I can say that we truly enjoyed performing this song together and are glad for ECC members that could come to our program.  We'll be joining together again with some other church choral groups and the orchestra to perform "O Holy Night" at the Gala.  We hope to see you there!

by Sara

ECC Starts Christmas Music This Week

The Christmas season is always a favorite with the Evanston Civic Chorus, and we're excited to jump into new music this week on Wednesday, Nov. 16th.  This is a great time to join us!

We've got a couple of holiday events scheduled so far:

• December 1st - We're planning to be in the Parade of Lights as Christmas carolers.  In the past we've strolled around downtown singing in different businesses.  This year we're planning to sing our carols on a float in the parade.  
• December 18th - We're hosting the 3rd biennial Evanston Community Christmas Gala concert.

Evanston Community Christmas Gala

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

7:00 p.m.

Davis Middle School

Free Admission

2009 - Combined Choir and Orchestra

The Civic Chorus and Chamber Choir will each prepare a song for the Gala. In addition, the Chorus will form the nucleus of a combined choir which will sing "O Holy Night," accompanied by the Evanston Civic Orchestra.  We formed a combined choir for the 2009 Gala and it was a great success.  We already have several local church choral groups signed up to be in the Gala and in the combined choir.

All singers in the Evanston area are invited to be in the combined choir.  If you don't belong to a participating choral group, come sing with the Civic Chorus!  Even if you are in a different choral group, come sing with us.  I'm involved in three different choirs this year, plus the orchestra.  It's great fun!

I hope to see many of you on Wednesday at 7:00 in the EHS choir room!

 by Sara

Looking Forward to Next Year

The Evanston Civic Chorus completed the fall session a couple of weeks ago with a Christmas party gig.  On Monday, December 13, 2010 we provided some entertainment for the Senior Circle party at the Legal Tender restaurant.  We figured we'd be limited to just the a cappella tunes from our Christmas program.  But with a little bit of detective work, Kirk discovered an old piano buried in a corner behind a pile of chairs.  It was just the perfect instrument for the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick."

This was the lineup:

• God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
• Bradshaw's Carol, Round, and Alleluia
• Born on a New Day
• Little Saint Nick
• Hark the Herald Angels Sing
• Joy to the World

The audience was very appreciative, and I believe our tribute to the Beach Boys might have been the favorite. 

After a successful year, which included several concerts and participation in many community events, the Chorus looks forward to the new year.  The spring session will start on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the EHS choir room.

How about a New Year's resolution that's easy to keep - singing with the Evanston Civic Chorus!

by Sara

Christmas Carol Poll Results

Seventeen votes were cast in our Favorite Christmas Carol Poll, and we have a clear winner.  "Angels We Have Heard on High" received 4 votes.  We have a three-way tie for second place.  "Joy to the World," "Silent Night" and "What Child Is This?" each received 2 votes.  Seven others each received a vote, and a few received none.  I can't figure out why no one voted for "The Boars Head Carol." 

Thanks to everyone who participated.  Have a very Merry Christmas and sing lots of Christmas carols!

by Sara

A Great Christmas Program on Sunday, December 12, 2010

More Photos

What a fun Christmas program we had on Sunday, December 12, 2010 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church!  Suzanne was the narrator, the Chorus sang a few songs, and there were several duets by members of the Chorus.  The acoustics were great, the audience was appreciative, and it was really fun to eat refreshments and mingle with the crowd afterward.  This was the program, with readings inserted throughout:  

Do You Hear What I Hear (video playlist)

• Do You Hear What I Hear?
• Bradshaw's Carol, Round, and Alleluia
• God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
• Still a Bach Christmas - Beverly and Deb
• O Holy Night - Beverly and Deb
• He Shall Feed His Flock/Come Unto Him - Rebekah and Clarissa
• Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Sara and Beverly
• Born On a New Day
• Little St. Nick

Thanks to St. Paul's for letting us perform at the church, to Rebecca and Joseph for taking video and photos, and to the Evanston Study Club for providing the refreshments.

by Sara

ECO Presents Handel's Messiah - December 19th

The Evanston Civic Orchestra is presenting Handel's Messiah this coming Sunday, December 19th at 6:00 p.m. at Davis Middle School.  Several of our Civic Chorus singers are also part of the Messiah Choir.

The program includes favorite choruses, such as "For Unto Us a Child is Born" and "Hallelujah."  The soprano aria, "Rejoice, Greatly" is my favorite solo, and I'm glad it is included this year. 

The concert is free, and there will be a reception afterward.

Messiah is always the highlight of my Christmas.  I hope you'll come make it a part of yours.

by Sara

ECC Christmas Carols Downtown - Dec. 2, 2010

More Photos

Last Thursday, members of the Chorus gathered to sing Christmas carols during the Downtown Merchants Open House and Parade of Lights.  Thanks to the businesses for letting us step inside and share our music!

Part of the fun in this annual activity of the Chorus is that it is for family and friends too.  And passersby are always welcome to join us!

Weatherwise, we were lucky; the warm spell came just in time.  It was nice not to concern ourselves too much with frozen ears and fingers as we have in years past.

I've always loved Christmas caroling, and am glad the Evanston Civic Chorus has made this an annual tradition.  It's hard to pick a favorite carol, but I think I'll have to go with "Angels We Have Heard on High."  What is your favorite?  Cast your vote in our new poll on our website.

by Sara

Christmas Concert Soon!

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

We are excited to announce that our Christmas concert is about a week away.  Two years ago we held the concert at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.  It was well attended and the acoustics were great.  So we're going to be at St. Paul's again this year (949 Sage St.)

So mark your calendars for Sunday, December 12th at 7:00 p.m.  The Chorus will be singing several songs, including a really cool a cappella arrangement of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and a Chorus favorite, "Do You Hear What I Hear."  In addition, there will be several vocal solos, duets, and a piano duet by Chorus members.

Admission is free, and refreshments will be provided by the Evanston Study Club following the concert.  Bring your families!

by Sara

Christmas Concert at the State Hospital - December 22, 2009

Just several days before Christmas, the Civic Chorus had a unique experience when we sang our Christmas set at the Wyoming State Hospital.  It was a little creepy when they locked the doors behind us as we entered, but the staff was very grateful and helpful, and the patients were a very appreciative audience.  This was our program:

• Do You Hear What I Hear?
• Kyrie
• An Irving Berlin Christmas
• Born on a New Day
• It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
• Joy to the World

by Sara

Evanston Community Christmas Gala - December 10, 2009

Last Thursday the Evanston Civic Chorus hosted the 2nd biennial Evanston Community Christmas Gala at Davis Middle School.  The concert was an even bigger success than the Gala two years ago, which is what we were hoping for.  The only really unfortunate thing about the event was that the auditorium was super cold.  Someone had left the outside door open earlier in the day, and there was not enough time for it to heat up.  I had a hard time playing the piano, my fingers were so cold.   

We heard great performances from the Catholic Church choir, the Evanston Civic Chorus and the Evanston Civic Orchestra as well as a vocal duet, vocal quintet, instrumental trio and piano soloist.  To end the concert, the combined choirs and orchestra performed "Joy to the World" and then led the audience in a sing-a-long.
 
by Sara

Christmas Concert at Library - 2009

The evening of December 3rd was very busy for the Civic Chorus. We started with our

Christmas Concert at the Uinta County Library at 5:30. This was our first time singing there. And it was my first time playing on a white piano. I played a little prelude music before the concert so I could get used to the keyboard. I played my favorites and even got a couple of requests from the gathering audience. This was our program:

• Do You Hear What I Hear?
• Kyrie
• An Irving Berlin Christmas
• Born on a New Day
• The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
• Joy to the World

The first two songs were favorites with the Chorus, as well as "Born on a New Day." Many in the audience particularly enjoyed "Joy to the World." Really, though, the whole concert was fun because we were singing Christmas music. And on top of that, it was fun to be loud in the library without anyone telling us to be quiet. View More Photos

After the concert, we rushed out to mingle with the crowd and sing carols at the Downtown Merchants Open House and Parade of Lights. We are becoming a familiar group at this annual event. I particularly liked singing inside of different businesses where we could look at our music and sing parts instead of singing in the dark outside and winging it.

Next we had a dress rehearsal with the Evanston Civic Orchestra and combined choir to put together "Joy to the World." It was super fun singing with the orchestra and this will definitely be a highlight of the Community Christmas Gala on the 10th. View More Photos