Valley Voices Community Choir performs Christmas concert

The Valley Voices Community Choir will present its Christmas concert, In Harmony With Christmas, twice this weekend in Bigfork and Evergreen. 

Performances are Dec. 9 and Dec. 10

The concert will encompass a range of sacred and secular music with an emphasis on harmony. Both the full choir of almost 80 voices and a smaller group of about 20 called Evensong will perform. Violinist Wai Mizutani will also perform with the choir.

“And then there’s the Grinch,” notes Duane Herriges, vice president of the choir. “Known for his lack of Christmas spirit, this year he has agreed to appear in person and who knows what mischief he’s going to bring?”

“It’s a fun piece,” says director Allyson Kuechmann of the song, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” “Santa wasn’t available this year but I’m frankly delighted that Mr. Grinch has agreed to appear in our program. And remember, his story has a happy ending.”

“But don’t think the Grinch gets to dominate our program,” says Rosella Thompson, the president of the choir. 

The choir will do a number of classics including “Silent Night” and “O’ Holy Night,” and selections from Handel’s Messiah and an a capella variant of “Away in a Manger.” 

“One of the selections is from the Messiah is the ‘Hallelujah Chorus,’” said Lauren Davis, the choir’s secretary. “And, as is our tradition, we will invite the audience to sing along.”

And the title of the concert? 

“We grant that Christmas is a Christian holiday, but in a world where a religion can itself be polarizing, we acknowledge the wider scope of the Christmas season,” said David Vale, a choir board member. “We, in our concert, celebrate the acceptance, love, and harmony that make this special season the centerpiece of Christianity.”

The concerts will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, at St. John Paul II Catholic Church in Bigfork and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10 at Risen Christ Catholic Church in Evergreen. 

Admission is free, but a free-will offering will be taken to help with the costs of the concert.