Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
Sing with The Dessoff Choirs as we gather to lift our voices in holiday cheer with one of the most beloved choral masterpieces, Handel’s Messiah.
Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
The Dessoff Choirs ushers in the winter solstice with a reprise performance of Margaret Bonds’ The Ballad of the Brown King, coinciding with Dessoff’s CD release of this never-before recorded work. A holiday cantata focusing on Balthazar of the Three Kings, the text was written by Langston Hughes and the entire work was written in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. The concert opens with traditional holiday motets and concludes with Silent Night by candlelight and the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.
Pre-concert talk with Dr. Ashley Jackson – 3:15 pm
| Rise up, Shepherd, and Follow | André J. Thomas (b. 1952) |
| Carol: O come all ye faithful | John Francis Wade (1711-1786) |
| Arr. David Willcocks (b. 1919-2015) | |
| The snow lay on the ground | Julian Wachner (b. 1969) |
| Carol: Hark the herald angels sing | Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) |
| Arr. Daniel Fortune and Malcolm J. Merriweather | |
| The Ballad of the Brown King | Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) |
| Carol: Silent Night | Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863) |
| Hallelujah from Messiah | George Friderick Handel (1685-1759) |
