Youth Chorale Offers Holiday Concert On December 6   The Rockbridge Youth Chorale, Lacey Lynch and Nate Pence, directors, will present its Holiday Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, December 6, in R. E. Lee Memorial (Episcopal) Church in Lexington. The performance is open to the public without charge. Now in its eleventh year, the Rockbridge Youth Chorale is comprised of three ensembles: the Children's Ensemble (kindergarten and first grade), the Junior Ensemble (second through fifth grades), both directed by Lynch; and the Youth Ensemble (sixth through twelfth grades), directed by Pence. The ensembles will perform separately and in combination. Instrumental support will be provided by piano accompanist, Daniel Brinson, and guest instrumentalists, Lisa Zweben, violin; Josh Harvey, djembe; and Sarah Ritter, flute. The repertoire for the Holiday Concert includes both traditional /familiar and unfamiliar repertoire for Christmas, Hanukah, and winter. The Junior Ensemble will Sonja Poorman’s "Gloria in excelsis." The Junior and Children’s Ensembles will join to sing "Arrura," a Mexican folk carol, featuring soloists, Sydney McDaniel, Addie jay Beacham, and Brendan Lynch; and "Season’s Greetings," a medley of several traditional Christmas songs featuring creative movement. Selections offered by the Youth Ensemble will include Poorman’s "Jubilate Deo" and Chuck Bridwell’s "Various Themes on Fa La La." Several works on the program center around the theme of peace. The Junior and Children’s ensembles will sing the Hanukkah song, "Kindle the Hanukkah Lights," by Lois Brownsey and Marti Lynn Lantz, and an African song, "Amani Utupe" ("Grant Us Peace, Give Us Courage"). All three ensembles will join to sing "Dona nobis pacem" and Fred Beck’s "Peace, Peace," a song partnering with the familiar carol "Silent Night," incorporating sign language and inviting audience participation. The Rockbridge Youth Chorale, like its parent organization, the Rockbridge Choral Society, is a member organization of Fine Arts In Rockbridge, which receives support from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, Rockbridge County, and the city of Lexington, and donations from area individuals, businesses and organizations. Public Radio WMRA has become a special sponsor. Grants to FAIR by the Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Society provide major support for the Rockbridge Youth Chorale. For more information, call the FAIR office at 464-3247.

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