Pitt-Greensburg Chorale to present holiday concerts at 3 sites

The Pitt-Greensburg Chorale will join with the Pittsburgh-based Kassia Ensemble for a series of holiday themed concerts to close the fall semester of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Joan Chambers Concert Series.

The program, “First Noël: Music of Bach, Saint-Saëns, Handel,” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at Delmont Presbyterian Church, 101 Church St.; and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22 at First United Methodist Church, 15 E. 2nd St., Greensburg.

Soprano Cynthia Ortiz, contralto Daphne Alderson, baritone Skip Napier and organist Matt Klumpp also will perform with the two groups.

A preview performance featuring piano accompaniment only will begin at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 20 in the Mary Lou Campana Chapel and Lecture Center at Pitt-Greensburg, 150 Finoli Drive, Hempfield.

All three performances are free to the public.

The program will feature Saint- Saëns “Christmas Oratorio,” Bach’s “Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden,” Caroline Shaw’s “For Claire and Philip,” Jessica Meyer’s “but not until,” Andrea Clearfield’s “Three Songs (after poems by Neruda),” Cecile Chaminade’s “Scarf Dance,” Schulz-Widmar’s “Midnight Clear” and Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Klumpp, official accompanist for the Pitt-Greensburg Chorale, will perform for early arrivals prior to the concerts.

“Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus is always a crowd favorite,” says Miranda Smith, president of the 35-voice chorale. “I think the Chorale does a great job in presenting this music in the way that Handel intended for it to be.

“The Bach piece is like a celebratory dance that will surely have people dancing in their seats. By the end of the concert with Handel’s Hallelujah, some of our audience members may find themselves with tears in their eyes,” she adds.

The Kassia Ensemble, featuring a traditional string quartet with the addition of double bass, clarinet and harp, strives for more inclusive gender and racial representation in the world of chamber music, and promotes women’s entrepreneurship and leadership in the arts, collaborating with artists of all genres and performing music by composers of all genders and ethnicities, according to Pitt-Greensburg.

The Pitt-Greensburg music program also has scheduled these December performances in the Campana Chapel and Lecture Center:

• 7 p.m. Dec. 2 — Tyler Humphries-Randolph, senior capstone presentation: “Come learn to sing in Chinese.”

• 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 — Voice and piano recital by students of Cynthia Ortiz and Matt Klumpp.

• 7 p.m. Dec. 5 — Distinct Voices a cappella performance.

• 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 — Friday Evening Music Club: “Sounds of the Season.”