La Cañada Presbyterian to Serve Up ‘A Christmas Musical Feast’

Mozart Christmas music? Well, arranger Robert Wendel takes a few creative liberties to make it happen, but Mozart’s overture to “The Marriage of Figaro” will be wedded to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” as just one of many offerings in “A Christmas Musical Feast,” a program by the La Cañada Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir and Orchestra on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m.

Jack Lantz, LCPC’s Director of Music and Worship Arts, will conduct the 50-voice choir and 35-piece orchestra in a wide-ranging program that is sure to help the community get into the spirit of Christmas. “We’ll present a concert of well-known Christmas favorites – mostly sacred, with a few secular Christmas songs thrown in for good measure – in a multimedia musical program,” Lantz said. “The multimedia component will include movie excerpts, videos and pictures of favorite Christmas images and festivities.”

“Overture to a Merry Christmas” will blend Mozart with Mendelssohn, who wrote the music that provided the foundation for “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The choir will perform many other familiar carols, including “Joy to the World,” “The First Noel,” and “O Come All Ye Faithful,” as well as secular favorites such as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

LCPC’s soprano soloist, Lori Stinson, will perform “O Holy Night,” as arranged by Carmen Dragon, former conductor of the Glendale Symphony Orchestra.

The choir will demonstrate its versatility with the calypso Christmas song “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” and the African American spiritual “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” And there will be a sing-along portion, so that the audience may join in with the choir, accompanied by the orchestra. Tyler Wright, everyone’s favorite emcee, will provide commentary, poetry and humor.

La Cañada Presbyterian Church is located at 626 Foothill Blvd. General admission tickets are $15, reserved seats are $20, children age 12 and under cost $10, and a special family pack of unlimited general admission tickets is available for $50. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the church office (818) 790-6708 or at the door. For more about the Ovations series and other LCPC programs, visit www.lacanadapc.org.

About La Cañada Presbyterian Church

La Cañada Presbyterian Church (LCPC) began in 1948 with 158 members and a vision to reach the world for Jesus Christ. That early church was built quite literally on faith and charity from remainder brick and an operating budget that turned just about all of its revenue into active ministry. Through 65 years of outreach, LCPC grew to 2,000 active attendees doing ministry throughout Southern California and in 40 countries around the world. In 2010 the church completed a campus expansion which doubled its physical base for ministry and kept its historical sanctuary as the heart of the new grounds.

La Cañada Presbyterian Church, 626 Foothill Boulevard, La Cañada, (818) 790-6708 or visit www.lacanadapc.org.