If ever there were a time to enjoy choral music performed by Baltimore’s best ensembles, it is this holiday season.
Few voices raised in song are as heart-melting as those of children, and a perfect choice is the Peabody Children’s Chorus, which
will be performing its holiday recital, “Cantate Domino: Songs to Celebrate the Season” this Sunday.
Chorus director Doreen Falby will lead 150 children between the ages of 6 to 17 in a three-part, age-appropriate program. The Training Choir, composed of 6- to 9-year-olds will perform six works including “What Shall We Do with the Baby-O,” an Appalachian folk song, “The Christmastide” and “S’Vivon,” an Israeli folk song.
The Choristers, 10- to 12-year-olds, sing to the Lord in sacred verse with pieces such as “Non Nobis, Domine” and the “Sanctus” from Faure’s “Requiem.”
Finally, the teen Chamber Singers regale the audience with selections that include William Hawley’s “Regina Caeli,” the Canadian folk song “J’entends le Moulin,” (“I hear the millwheel tique taque”) and the spiritual “Let me Fly.”
“Our process of choosing pieces is one of the most important things that Bradley [Permenter, assistant director] and I do in this job,” Falby said. “Our objective is to introduce each child to a range of musical styles, from folk music of various nations, to American music of multiple styles and the whole spectrum of Western-European art music from chant to contemporary works.”
All four of Towson mom Martha Bishai’s children (Annie, 15, Emily, 13, Graham, 11, and Trevor, 9) are involved in the Peabody Children’s Chorus.
“This [group] combines the fun of singing with an extraordinary educational experience in all aspects of music,” Bishai said. “Doreen Falby sets a very high standard.”
