Area residents are in for a treat next Friday, Dec. 15, when the Chantilly High Women's Select Choir performs with Choralis at Centreville United Methodist Church.
The 90-minute Christmas concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets, $25 general admission, are available at www.choralis.org, and student tickets are $5 at the door.
THE 17 JUNIORS and seniors comprising the Women's Select Choir will sing with Choralis, which bills itself as "an auditioned, 80-person, mixed-voice chorus with a paid-professional core." It's based in Falls Church and gives concerts in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
"It's the first time Chantilly has been invited to perform with them," said Chantilly Assistant Choral Director Mike Fuchs. "They typically invite a high-school choir to perform with them during their annual Christmas concert."
He believes Chantilly got the nod on the strength of its outstanding reputation for an excellent choral program. For example, said Fuchs, on Oct. 30, the Women's Select Choir sang for Gov. Tim Kaine at the governor's annual State of Education luncheon at the McLean Hilton.
And he's delighted that his students will now be singing with such an esteemed group as Choralis. "I'm very excited that this group gets this opportunity," he said. "They'll get a high-level, musical experience and performance that's hard to get at a high-school level. And they'll get to sing for a different audience than they normally would and in a different venue."
Chantilly's choral students will sing the opening and closing pieces with Choralis. The show will open with "Personent Hodie" and close with "Joy to the World." And a professional, classic brass quintet will accompany both choirs.
In addition, Chantilly will also perform four other pieces on its own — selections from composer Benjamin Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols," Old English carols performed with a professional harpist. The audience will also enjoy a Christmas carol sing-along, and Choralis will perform several numbers, as well.
"I think the audience will really enjoy the variety of different music, and its quality," said Fuchs. "And they'll love the sing-along section."
"The kids are very excited about it," he continued. "We've been working very hard on both this and our Holiday Spectacular, which is this week, Dec. 7-8, at 7 p.m., in the school auditorium. So they've been pulling double duty."
Looking forward to a good turnout for the Choralis concert, Fuchs said, "People will get to hear some great holiday music and support both the school and Choralis."