Raleigh Christmas Music Round-Up

Around this time of year in college I was usually rehearsing for Christmas concerts, performing in Christmas concerts, going to Christmas concerts, and studying for finals and being overall incredibly stressed out. BUT the concerts part was great and there was an excellent show to see nearly every day. I miss it, honestly. So this year I decided that I was going to find out about Raleigh has to offer in the holiday music department, and my goodness does it have a lot going on. This list is probably just a small portion of all of the Christmas concerts happening this holiday season, but I hope that you can find something to enjoy. Take your friends, your kids, your spouse, and be adventurous! Some are expensive (but probably worth it), a lot are free, and some are even geared towards kids. Take a chance, see a show, and make a memory! No one ever walks away from a Christmas concert in a bad mood.

And PLEASE, if you know of something good thats going on that I don't know about, tell me! I'll add it to the list.

Friday, November 29

·         Holiday Pops with the NC Symphony and Capital City Girls Choir at 7:30pm Meymandi Concert Hall – David Crabtree narrates. If you have tons of money to blow this Christmas season, then this is the show for you! Tickets start at around $45. It’s also on the 30^th at 3:00.

Sunday, December 1

·         Raleigh Beer and Hymns, Advent sing-a-long - 7:30pm at Tir Na Nog (free) This is an old tradition being brought back, and it sounds like pretty much the most fun thing I’ve ever heard of. Make new friends, drink good beer, and sing some amazing music to start out this lovely season of advent.

·         Holiday Festival of Music and Art- Benson Memorial United Methodist Church 4:00pm Holiday Festival begins at 4:00 pm with Art available for preview and sale. Christmas Concert of Sacred and Secular music presented by Benson Chancel Choir and Raleigh Flute Choir Trio will begin at 5:00 pm. Dinner available at 5:45 pm and continuation of Art Sale -- all media of arts, crafts, jewelry follows dinner. Proceeds from art sales to benefit Angel Tree Ministry. Free

 

Thursday, December 5

 

·         Advent Service of Lessons and Carols at Duke Chapel

Choral Vespers is held on Thursday evenings at 5:30 p.m. This 30-40 minute candlelight service consists of scripture readings, prayers, and sacred music. The Duke Vespers Ensemble leads the choral portion of the service.

 

Friday, December 6

·         NC Symphony and Master Chorale- Bach’s Oratorio 8pm @ Meymandi (this one is going to be good, you guys!) Tickets start at $31 (what is WITH the $10 processing fees when you buy a ticket online? I can process that myself at home with my printer, you feel me?! Makes me lose faith in humanity. So I shall listen to beautiful choral music to restore that faith.)  

·         Duke Chapel Choir “Messiah” (80^th year!) at 7:30 ($20, or $5 for students)

·         A Bluegrass Christmas Concert- at Quail Ridge Books, 7:30pm, featuring Nixon, Blevins, and Gage who I think just came out with a new Christmas album. I have no idea who they are but HEY, it’s free and its bluegrass! Win Win!

 

 

Saturday, December 7

·         Bayleaf Baptist Christmas Musical 7-8pm (free)

·         Duke Chapel Choir “Messiah” (80^th year!) at 2:00 ($20, or $5 for students)

·         NC Symphony and Master Chorale- Bach’s Oratorio 8pm @ Meymandi

·         William Peace University Singers- Kenan Hall at Peace, 5:15pm, kids are welcome! ($5-$10)

 

Sunday, December 8  

·         North Raleigh United Methodist Church Christmas Cantata 8:30am and 11:15 (free)

·         Bayleaf Baptist Christmas Musical 7-8pm (free)

·         Duke Chapel Choir “Messiah” (80^th year!) at 3:00 ($20, or $5 for students)

·         Cary Community Choir “Messiah” 7:30pm at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church (free I think) Want to sing Messiah with them? Just attend 2 of their 3 rehearsals! Google it, because that would be rad.

·         Durham Community Chorale Holiday Concert 3:30 at Temple Baptist Church (free?)

·         Appalachian Winter/Hanging of the Greens at Wake Forest Baptist Church 6:30pm- Sacred harp tunes, shaker hymns and Appalachian melodies featuring the choirs of the church and a guest Appalachian instrumental consort. Free. I’m totes going to this.

·         The Oakwood Waits Christmas Concert- at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, 7:30pm, free!! (donations go to the Hope Center) This is a mid-sized a capella group (complete with Dickens-era costumes) that has been a Raleigh staple for 30 years.

·         Christ Baptist Church Christmas Concert- at 6:00pm, I’m gathering from the website that this is a big church? With lots of choirs and an orchestra! Free

·         The Raleigh Concert Band Holiday Show- 2:00pm- this isn’t choral as far as I can tell, but sounds like it will be great nonetheless! At the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, $5

 

Tuesday, December 10

·         NC Master Chorale “Joy of the Season” 7:30pm at Meymandi

·         Christmas Caroling at Quail Ridge Books and Music (3522 Wade Avenue) from 5:30-6:30pm. Shopping at Whole Foods? Head down to the bookstore at the other end of the shopping center and sing with some strangers! Or if there is a designated group of people singing and they’re in costume or you can tell they’ve been rehearsing together, you probably shouldn’t sing with them. I’m not sure which situation this is going to be. Either way it can’t hurt to show up and enjoy some music.

 

Friday, December 13

·         Providence Baptist “Your Favorite Christmas” 7pm (free)

·         Concert Singers of Cary “Holiday Pops” at Cary Arts Center 8pm ($18-20)

·         Voices Choir “The Sounds of Christmas” 8pm at Hill Hall Auditorium UNC Chapel Hill ($20)

Saturday, December 14

·         Providence Baptist “Your Favorite Christmas” 6pm (free)

Birthday Party for Jesus- while you watch the show, your kids (birth-5^th grade) will get to have a fun time, with activities and snacks, learning all about how Christmas is Jesus’ birthday

·         Voices Choir “The Sounds of Christmas” 3pm at Hill Hall Auditorium UNC Chapel Hill ($20)

·         Concert Singers of Cary “Holiday Pops” at Cary Arts Center 3pm and 8pm ($18-20)

·         Choral Society of Durham “Tippett: A Child of Our Time” (with African-American Christmas spirituals) at Duke Chapel 8pm ($20)  this concert sounds like it’s going to be the bomb, google this for more info but I’m pretty sure the composer is amazing

·         Concert Dancers of Raleigh present Twas the Night Before Christmas- 4:00pm at Jones Auditorium at Meredith, “Concert Dancers of Raleigh invites "children of all ages" to this wonderfully choreographed ballet!” One hour long, $5-$10. This is definitely geared towards families with kids and sounds promising for my little ones. Not Jude, though. He would escape from my lap and run onstage and push the dancers over. And laugh. So, who’s babysitting?

·         Triangle Brass Band- at Wake Forest Baptist Church 7pm- The Triangle Brass Band is a British style brass band comprised of the finest brass and percussion players from the greater RTP area. $5-$12.  You can find out how to buy tickets online at www.virginiatull.com . This is a very popular show and I saw on one website that they had added a show time but could never find the details, so you may want to look into that if this time/day doesn’t work.

Sunday, December 15

·         Providence Baptist “Your Favorite Christmas” 2:30 and 6pm (free)

·         Greystone Baptist Christmas Cantata- 6pm (I think free, I went last year and it was really quite good)

·         Capital City Girls Choir holiday concert, 3pm at Meredith College’s Jones Auditorium  $10

·         Hillyer Community Choir Christmas Concert- at Hillyer Memorial Christian Church at 4:00pm with chorus and orchestra performing Mozart's Credo Mass and Craig Courtney's "A Musicological Journey through the Twelve Days of Christmas" (free)

Sunday, December 15th, 2013 at 4:00pm

·         Millennium Singers (one of the Raleigh Boy Choir choirs) at the Page-Walker Museum in Cary, 4:00pm. Not sure of cost.

·         Choral Society of Durham “Tippett: A Child of Our Time” (with African-American Christmas spirituals) at Duke Chapel 3pm ($20) see previous note about this, I think it’s going to be really great

 

 

Friday, December 20

·         NC Symphony “Cirque de la Symphony” 8pm at Meymandi. Technically this isn’t choral, but it’s basically circus meets symphony which sounds pretty amaaaaazing.

·         Raleigh Boy Choir- Carols of Christmas, 7:30 ($15 for adults) at Hayes Barton Baptist Church, 1800 Glenwood Ave. If you have never heard a GOOD boy choir in person, do yourself a favor and go to this concert.

 

Saturday, December 21

·         NC Symphony “Cirque de la Symphony” 8pm at Meymandi

·         Trilogy at the Pittsboro Roadhouse and General Store- at 8pm, this is a jazz trio doing a special Christmas show which is free. It is in Pittsboro though. Which sounds far away.  

 

To find out more info, look for more concerts, and read about choirs that you may want to join go to raleighsings.org