Wrangell Community Chorale delivers holiday spirit for the twentieth year

Wrangell’s Community Chorale music group held its holiday concert in the Nolan Center Sunday. The volunteer choir sang traditional and contemporary holiday tunes for the community.

Chorale Director Bonnie Dimerjian has been running the event for 19 years and spoke with KSTK prior to the event. She took over the Chorale just after its first year.

“We try to do something different each year, a mix of music from the renaissance that is from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries all the way up through contemporary music,” said Dimerjian. “We do sacred music and secular music both.”

Demerjian said she likes to push the group do take on challenging pieces. One of the tunes chosen this year was by contemporary composer Morten Lauridsen.

“He’s actually from the Pacific Northwest, and we’re doing a lovely piece by him called ‘Sure on This Shining Night,” she said. “Another piece we’re really having fun with is by a British composer from the British renaissance. We’re doing this with the chorale and a string quartet and some soloists, and it’s called ‘Rejoice in the Lord Always.’”

A string quartet also performed three movements from George Frideric Handel’s “Water Music Suite in D.” The show closed with the audience singing along to familiar Christmas hymns and songs.

Wrangell Community Chorale performance:

“Sure On This Shining Night” composed by: Morten Lauridsen