The Keene Chorale Presents "Magnificence"

Celebrate the magnificence of the season with The Keene Chorale as it performs Franz Schubert's "Magnificat in C-Major" and Part I of George Frideric Handel's "Messiah" — under the baton of new Music Director Jonathan Colby. The Chorale's more than 70 singers will be accompanied by an orchestra of strings, woodwinds, brass and tympani as well as by the Chorale's talented accompanist, Vladimir Odinokikh, on piano and organ. Making their debut with the Chorale this season will be soloists Mara Bonde (soprano), Sandra Piques Eddy (mezzo soprano), Travis Benoit (tenor) and Gregory Flower (bass-baritone). The holiday concert will be held at the United Church of Christ in Keene on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. In his first season with the Chorale, Jonathan Colby lends his wealth of experience leading highly acclaimed music programs across New England. Having won several awards, his work has been described as dynamic and full of technical prowess and has been praised for its precision and vitality. In this performance of Schubert's "Magnificat in C-Major," listeners will hear commanding energy and lilting joy in the "Song of Mary." The marshalling precision and cascading harmonies of the chorus proclaim divine majesty while the tender and intimate interlude of soloists suggest poignant humility of mankind. Colby also brings new energy and insight to Handel's always powerful "Messiah." The Chorale invites audience members to listen, for example, to the fluttering musical runs in the section, "And He Shall Purify," and imagine the flickering flames of purification referenced in the book of Malachi, upon which the part is based. Since The Keene Chorale's beginning in 1979, over 800 singers have been a part of its musical journey, bringing the best of choral music to the Monadnock Region. Always a diverse and inclusive group, their shared joy of singing and learning together keeps members coming back season after season. This performance is made possible by funding from The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Putnam Foundation, The Frederick Smyth Institute of Music and the Savings Bank of Walpole. Tickets are available online at https://keenechorale.org/tickets/, and at the Toadstool Bookshop, 12 Emerald Street in Keene. Tickets are $25 per adult; $22 per senior and $10 for students and children. Begun in 1979, with a handful of choristers, The Keene Chorale is a non-auditioned chorus of mixed voices open to adults of all singing and music reading abilities. They rehearse each Tuesday from September through May accompanied each week by concert pianist Vladimir Odinokikh, and present two concerts a year under Music Director Jonathan Colby. Its singers live and work in Keene, the surrounding Monadnock, Massachusetts and Vermont regions, and come from all walks of life. Some have sung with select choirs around the world; others have their first choral experience when they become members.