Pasadena Master Chorale concert Dec. 10

When conductor and composer Jeffrey Bernstein founded the Pasadena Master Chorale (PMC) in 2008, he saw the organization functioning as a kind of musical matchmaker, “creating opportunities” to bring together those who love to make music and those who love to hear it. “Home for the Holidays” – which will take place on Saturday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church in Pasadena – is a case in point in that it provides a treasure trove of ways to strengthen, deepen and enhance this friendship.



“There’s no better time to hear choral music than during the holiday season,” Bernstein explains. “In this concert, the Chorale will explore the unique glories of the choral sound, sampling familiar works from the Renaissance through the 20th Century. It’s Christmas music for the whole family.”



Highlights of the concert include Heinrich Schütz's Also Hat Gott Die Welt Geliebt, beloved standbys like the Coventry Carol and O Holy Night, and less familiar works like Noam Elkies's Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening, which Bernstein describes as “haunting and touching”.



Joining the Chorale are nearly 20 student and apprentice singers from Pasadena-area schools. For instance, Bernstein’s new arrangement of Silent Night will feature Arthur Martinez, winner of PMC's second annual solo vocal competition and currently a student at LACSHA. A second LACHSA student, Harry Wilde Greer, will be the cello soloist in Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols.



The concert will also include what has become a highly anticipated PMC tradition: an audience sing-along of seasonal carols.



“But this year we’ve added something special,” says Bernstein. “PMC will release a companion CD entitled ‘Home for the Holidays’. So, now, our audience can take the sounds of the concert home with them.”



Tickets for “Home for the Holidays” are $22/person ($25 at the door) and are available online, at www.pasadenamasterchorale.org , or at the door (cash or check only). For more information, call 626.208.0009.



First Congregational Church is located at 464 Walnut Street in Pasadena, 91101.