Mike Parker: Prepare your heart for Christmas music
What I most love about this season of the year, second only to the Christmas story itself, is the music. We are blessed in our area to have an abundance of musical talent, and many of those talented people will use their gifts to share the sounds and songs of Christmas.
First on the list of performances is Handel’s “Messiah.” The Kinston-Lenoir County Chorus and the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra will begin their rendition of this famous musical piece at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church located at 2101 North Herritage Street.
The chorus was open to singers, high school age or older. The dress rehearsal will be from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 9, with the performance to follow at 7 p.m. To obtain more information or to become a sponsor, contact Zoe Laakmann at messiah@fpckinston.org or call 252-361-2229.
The Community Council for the Arts is hosting a special event combined with a holiday performance beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 13. The evening begins with a dinner of light hors d’oeuvres, wine, and a cash bar. From 7 p.m. until 8 p.m., Carolina Sound of Mount Olive University, a 12-member graduate-level acapella group, will perform holiday favorites.
Husband and wife duo Lester and Holly Rector, from Walt Disney World’s Voices of Liberty, have been hired to lead the group.
“The idea behind Carolina Sound is for us to be able to go into any setting and perform, sing, and promote the University,” said Lester. “Because we are an acapella group, we have flexibility to move to perform in places, whether a dinner party for 20 or an auditorium of more than 200.”
Each year the Queen Street Methodist Church hosts its annual Christmas concert, “A Queen Street Christmas.” This year, performances will be on Saturday, December 14, or Sunday, December 15. Doors open at 5:00 each evening, and the concert begins at 6:00 p.m.
This concert features the 50-voice Queen Street Chancel Choir and a 30-piece orchestra. You are sure to love every minute as you hear familiar and favorite carols. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, email Jacob Mewborn at jacob@queenstreetchurch.org.
Jackson Heights will be featured at the “Hometown Christmas” concert beginning at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15, at Tanglewood Church located at 2103 Rouse Road. Although the concert is free, a freewill offering will be received.
Jackson Heights may be a new name to some, but the band has a rich history. Allen O’Neal, son of Dixie Melody Boys’ bass Ed O’Neal, and friends Kent Humphrey, Olan Witt, and Frank Sutton all liked the style of country music of the 1980s. As Christians, they did not embrace the lyrics of the songs or the lifestyle of many of the performers.
With the help of several producers and songwriters, they created the sound that launched the DMB Band. The music was pure country with a powerful message and positive lyrics. In 2015, the guys changed the name of the group to Jackson Heights.
Why Jackson Heights? At one time in the 1980s, all these musicians lived in the Lenoir County community called Jackson Heights.
At 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 17, the Community Council for the Arts will host a Christmas Concert that is free and open to the public. The concert will feature the music of TAPS, which is an acronym for “Traditional Arts Program for Students.”
This concert will provide both instrumental and choral music. The instrumental group, under the direction of Benjamin Miller, meets to rehearse at 4 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month. The choral group, conducted by Marcus Jones and William Sawyer, rehearses every Wednesday from 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. The TAPS programs are supported with a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency.
I have no idea how many churches will be doing special musical programs to celebrate the Lord’s birth. One thing is certain: over the next few weeks, music will fill the air.
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
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