Await! A Danielle de Niese special and cantata from St. Mary’s Choral Group
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Danielle de Niese: Pic by Genevieve Girling
‘Behold, A Savior!’, a Christmas cantata will be performed on Saturday, December 17 at 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church, Bambalapitiya by the St. Mary’s Choral Group.
The choir is conducted by Eshantha de Andrado and will be accompanied by Neomal De Alwis and Neranjan De Silva on piano and keyboards respectively, with monologues directed by Neidra Williams and Naresh Anthony.
Music lovers of a different vintage will recall the St. Mary’s Choral Group had its origins in the later 1960’s with Fr. Claver Perera. Apart from a few concert performances, the choir sings for the 8:30 a.m. Sunday mass at St. Mary’s Church Bambalapitiya, a parish in the Archdiocese of Colombo known for its musically enhanced liturgical services. A few members of the choir have been singing with the choir for over 30 years.
The cantata “Behold a Savior – Songs and Stories of his Birth” is the inaugural project in aid of the parish organ fund, an urgently felt need at St. Mary’s. With a robust fanfare introduction, the powerful music includes a brief passage from ‘O Holy Night’ as well as many other modern melodies, which skilfully weave in and out of traditional Christmas tunes. An inspired narrative provides a detailed third person point of view of the Christmas story.
At practice: Eshantha de Andrado conducting the choir. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Throughout this musical, Jay Rouse and Rose Aspinall skilfully weave scripture and dramatic first-hand accounts of the birth of Jesus into beloved carols and original songs. Each monologue and song takes you on a journey: from the longing of Zechariah, the joy and acceptance of Mary, the courage of Joseph, to the accounts of the shepherds and wise men.
This Christmas, the St. Mary’s Choral Group will also present “Fleeting Moments of Advent” – 30 minutes of Christmas Classics featuring the world renowned Australian-American lyric soprano Danielle de Niese who will sing Laudate Dominum and The Child of Bethlehem, backed by the choir. The carols will commence at 11.10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, December 24th night and will culminate with the Midnight Mass service, which will also include renditions of O Holy Night and Once in Royal David’s City by Danielle.
Danielle de Niese will perform at St. Mary’s on the invitation of the Mano Chanmugam Music Trust.
For further details please contact Michelle Fonseka on 0773874959 and Geoffrey Alagaratnam on 0777763033.
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