A Boston Christmas

Friday, December 20, 2024 • 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 21, 2024 • 4:00 pm

Old South Church, 645 Boylston St., Boston  02116

Back Bay Chorale
Brass Ensemble
Organ
Timpani
Stephen Spinelli, conducting

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Don't miss this annual highlight of the holiday season, featuring the mighty Back Bay Chorale, brass, organ, and Boston's favorite carol sing-along.

The Back Bay Chorale’s “A Boston Christmas” returns, bringing the warmth and cheer of the holidays to our audiences through choral music. The grand but inviting, historic space provided by Old South Church, the sounds of brass and organ, and the invitation to sing carols that many of us have known since infancy all signal that this is a time of year for reflection, connection, and hope.

This year’s concerts, in addition to featuring a number of well-known classics, will shine a light on some interesting facets of American history.  Alfred Burt, best known for his contributions to early 20th-century Hollywood film scores, made a habit of writing a Christmas carol each year, and sending it as a Christmas greeting to his loved ones. Burt’s granddaughter, Abbie Betinis, is a celebrated composer living in Minnesota. She has picked up the mantle of her grandfather’s Christmas Carol tradition, and the Burt family carols are alive and well. We will celebrate Abbie and Alfred by performing their music. 

Last year’s concerts featured a little-known carol by the great  Margaret Bonds, and this year we will continue to spotlight her underrepresented contributions to the field of choral music. A yet unpublished choral version of her spiritual “Sing Aho!”, arranged by the composer herself, will take center stage. We will also celebrate the centennial of the great Julia Perry, an historically underrepresented composer known best for her significant contributions to the modernist movement. Her first published work, however, was a charming Christmas carol “Carillon Heigh-ho”, composed while she was still a student at Westminster Choir College. Happy 100th, Julia Perry!

The warmth and longevity of holiday choral music traditions will shine through with performances of well-known works like  Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to the Virgin and Morton Lauridsen’s timeless O Magnum Mysterium. We hope to welcome you, to inspire you, and to guide you towards the welcome respite provided by the holiday season.

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