BRIDGEPORT — The choral artists of Maestri Vocale will present “Welcome Yule” at Bridgeport United Methodist Church on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at 7:30 pm.  

The program will feature an enjoyable variety of holiday songs, including familiar favorites like “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and “Jingle Bells.” The centerpiece of the concert will be A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten, for choir and harp.  

Bridgeport UMC is located at 251 Worthington Drive, Bridgeport, WV 26330.  The event is free and open to the public.  Donations to Maestri Vocale will be accepted via a goodwill offering at the concert.

A Ceremony of Carols was composed by Benjamin Britten in 1942 while aboard an ocean liner traveling across the Atlantic from the US back to his home in England.  It is a collection of ten songs that have been woven into a meaningful meditation on the Christmas story.  The texts are centuries-old poems that are in a mixture of Middle English, Early Modern English, and Latin.  The combination of voices and harp create an atmosphere that is by turns mysterious and celebratory.  The piece will be conducted by longtime Clarksburg musician Don Gardner, who also leads the Madrigal Singers of Clarksburg.

Maestri Vocale was formed in 2019 to bring choral artistry to the Mountain State.  The members of the choir are all trained musicians, most of whom work professionally as music educators, church musicians, voice teachers, and such.  In keeping with the collaborative leadership model of the ensemble, conducting duties for the concert will be shared by several different members of the group: Don Gardner, Barry Kolar, Sarah Nale, Natalie Shaffer, Jeremiah Smallridge, and Sam Spears.  

For more information, visit the Maestri Vocale website at www.maestrivocale.com, and follow Maestri Vocale Bass and Maestri Vocale Treble on Facebook.