Music has always been a large part of Christmas festivities whether it is singing carols, attending a concert, playing CDs in your car, or as background music in your home while wrapping gifts, baking cookies or decorating the tree. And so, that is true of the Christmas in Montrose events the first weekend of December. The grand finale on Sunday afternoon, December 3 at 3:00 PM will be a concert complete with festive musical selections presented by the Montrose Community Chorale at the Presbyterian Church on 367 Church Street in Montrose.
What started as a chorale composed of the Church Street Singers and the The Montrose Harmony Men and directed by David Andre over twenty years ago has become a Montrose Community Chorale. The present choral group of singers are from Montrose as well as surrounding communities who practice once a week for many weeks prior to the concert. Originally, the chorale practiced and performed at the Montrose Area High School and later utilized the Methodist Church. They now practice and perform at the Presbyterian Church in Montrose. Montrose Elementary School music teacher Tom Welch has conducted the group for many years following David Andre.
Accompanists throughout the years have included Mary Ann DeWitt, Sarah Bertsch, Linda Small and Martha Denkenberger. Presently Kristen Burkhart, elementary music teacher and choral director at Blue Ridge Elementary accompanies the group. She first performed with her mother Linda Small as they presented an organ/piano duet for the concert many years ago.
The program of music each year is selected by a committee composed of the conductor, the accompanist, and selected members of the chorale. A free will offering is collected during the concert to defray the cost of music and a donation for the location to rehearse and perform. The balance of the offering is given to Interfaith to make Christmas special for those less fortunate in the community.
Plan to enjoy some or all of the Christmas in Montrose events from the Friday night Parade of Lights and Take a Bite Out of Christmas tours to the array of events from 9:00 to 3:00 on Saturday and the grand finale concert on Sunday. There is something for everyone from the horse drawn carriage rides, photos with Santas, crafts and a free movie for the kids, holiday shopping, an unbelievable variety of seasonal foods, a farmer’s market, craft fairs at churches and vendors on the Village Green.
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