Friday, December 15, 7:30 p.m.
St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2136 Brady Street, Davenport IA
Saturday, December 16, 7:30 p.m.
First Lutheran Church, 364 East Water Street, Galesburg IA
An annual holiday-music tradition returns to the area this month as the professional vocal ensemble the Nova Singers present their latest A Nova Christmas concerts, with exciting and moving arrangements of non-secular, classical, and traditional holiday favorites performed December 15 at Davenport's St. Paul Lutheran Church and December 16 at Galesburg's First Lutheran Church.
Founded in 1986 by Knox College's music-department chair Dr. Laura Lane, who continues to serve as the group's music director, the Nova Singers gathers vocalists from across Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa who share common interests in expressive virtuosity, professional excellence, and community outreach. With the ensemble performing at state, regional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and throughout the Midwest, the Nova Singers' efforts have been rewarded with grants from the Illinois Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts. Nine albums have also been recorded by the Nova Singers over the years, including the Christmas-music releases Mystery & Light, Behold a Star, and Mid-Winter.
Currently composed of 22 members, the Nova Singers will perform four-part arrangements of nearly 20 seasonal songs during their Nova Christmas performances, with the debuting pieces including composer Jonathan Dove's “The Three Kings” and Eriks Esenvalds' “Stars,” and the more instantly familiar tunes including “Away in a Manger,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” But as Dr. Lane states, “If you have attended any Nova Christmas concerts, you will hear other songs that have become our favorites, such as 'A Virgin' Unspotted,' John Rutter's 'What Sweeter Music,' and Morten Lauridsen's incredibly inspiring 'O Magnum Mysterium.' As always, we give you a great mixture of the serene and the exquisitely beautiful and the fun and delightful.”
Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. A Nova Christmas concerts are $15-18 with students admitted free of charge, and more information and reservations are available by calling (309)341-7038 or visiting NovaSingers.com.
