St. Louis Concert Choir to Present

Christmas…Night of Joy Dec 3rd
By Jim Day

“Christmas is the best time of the year.” That message is still true today. The best time: a time of wonder, of laughter, of excitement, of celebration, of surprises and peace and joy. “Joy” is a word that describes the season more than any other.

The St. Louis Concert Choir has crafted a joy-filled Christmas celebration for the entire family employing beautiful choral and solo music, elegant dance, joyful children, creative staging, insightful dialog, and state-of-the-art sound and lighting for this year’s annual Christmas production entitled Christmas…Night of Joy!

Designed to warm every heart and bring the joy of Christmas to all, the Choir will bring together a cast of over 80 of the metro area’s brightest and best singers, dancers, actors and kids for two performances of Christmas…Night of Joy! on Saturday, December 3, at the Dale Williams Fine Arts Center on the campus of Missouri Baptist University in west St. Louis county.

Formed in the fall of 1996, the Choir (under the direction of veteran conductor Bob Pickett) is a community choir of Christian musicians from all across the Greater St. Louis area. Representing nearly 30 different churches, the Choir rehearses monthly at Grace Church - Saint Louis in Maryland Heights. This enthusiastic group of dedicated and talented singers will join forces with the Ekklesia Contemporary Dance Company and the Ekklesia Kids under the direction of choreographer, Christina McArthur, to present a concert of favorite Christmas music, old and new.

Featuring some of the great Christmas songs of all time, popular standards, Christmas carols in new settings, and some wonderful new songs, Christmas…Night of Joy! will have something for everyone. As the audience has a chance to reflect on their favorite Christmas memories, they will laugh and cheer, nod in agreement and perhaps shed a tear, and sing along with the Choir on thrilling arrangements of music that touch the heart. The program will also include a time of worshipful reflection on the impact of the first Christmas on all of our lives, and a living nativity scene.

Audiences will be treated to the vocal and dramatic talents of America’s premiere biblical actor, Ken Lee. Mr. Lee, a resident of St. Charles, MO is back with the Choir as special guest artist, member of The Three Tenors, and dramatic director and writer for the production. His ability to entertain and evoke laughter from an audience is legendary and his script promises to bring cheer and truth to the heart of many in the audience. For over 30 years, Mr. Lee has traveled the country presenting his one-man dramatic portrayals of biblical characters with humor and power and he also conducts summer drama workshops in the St. Louis area through his Logos school.

Joining Mr. Lee are two other powerful tenor vocalists, Brian Flanagan, soloist and songwriter from Florissant, MO, and Brian Brown, popular Nashville vocalist and studio artist whose memorable solo performance on Let Freedom Ring was the highlight of the Concert Choir’s 2003 production, Red, White & Blue Christmas. Mr. Brown will be featured in the role of Joseph and with the Three Tenors.

Jazz recording artist, Tim Cunningham, is well known to St. Louis audiences through his saxophone performances at various jazz clubs in the area, jazz albums, and national jazz festival tours as well as his weekly radio program on local jazz stations. Mr. Cunningham will perform a medley of Christmas carols from his recent album, Tim Cunningham Christmas. Often compared to Kenny G, Tim’s sweet sax solos always bring rave reviews and warm response.

Christmas…Night of Joy! features a program of musical Christmas favorites including songs recorded on the group’s last two albums, Exceeding Great Joy! and Christmas: A Timeless Treasure, and a refreshing presentation of Randy Vader and Joy Rouse’s musical masterpiece, All Is Calm, All Is Bright. These lush musical settings mix contemporary and classical styles to prove the timeless nature of the Christmas celebration.

The St. Louis Concert Choir, along with the Concert Choir Ensemble, the Ekklesia Kids, and the Brotherhood Men’s Chorus are all featured on the program, singing classic carols and standards including Winter Wonderland, Let It Snow, Frosty the Snowman, Carol of the Bells, Silent Night, Deck the Halls, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and the stirring Grammy-nominated You Raise Me Up.

In addition to the Concert Choir and the guest artists, Christmas…Night of Joy! will also feature soloists Malcolm Speed and Lisa Rogerson of St. Louis, MO, Lowell Ardenreith of Ballwin, MO, Joylene Anderson of Florissant, MO, Madeline Williams of St. Charles, MO, Debbie Ross of Wright City, MO, Lesley Bridges and Ally Brauninger of Sullivan, MO, Jerome Rogers of Alorton, IL, Joe Tolan of Collinsville, IL, and newcomer Lauren Zawodniak of Freeburg, IL.

Combine the talents of the Concert Choir, the Ensemble, the Three Tenors, the graceful Ekklesia dance troupe, the rich vocals of the Brotherhood Men’s Chorus, along with the energetic Ekklesia Kids Chorus, featured soloists and the live nativity and there will be more variety than one can handle.

Christmas…Night of Joy! will be presented two times at the beautiful Pillsbury Chapel at the Dale Williams Fine Arts Center on the campus of Missouri Baptist University, at Mason Road and Highway 40 in west St. Louis County. Curtain times are 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 3. There is ample free parking. Tickets are available by calling 800-993-SING (800-993-7464), or by contacting any member of the Choir. Singers interested in joining this on-going community choir are invited to contact Mr. Pickett at (636) 926-0701.

The St. Louis Concert Choir is a project of Concert Ministries, Inc., (CMI) of Orlando, Florida, and one of America’s foremost Christian producers, Thurlow Spurr. CMI has sponsored similar choirs in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, New York, and New Jersey, and is in their 33rd season of presenting concerts in Michigan and Ohio. In June of this year, Spurr and Pickett took a team of 45 singers and volunteers to the Bahamas to perform and give practical help to victims of the numerous hurricanes that pummeled the island nation in the fall of 2004. In July 2003 CMI put together a team of 250 singers and musicians from across the country and across the island state - including several members of the St. Louis Concert Choir - to travel to Hawaii and present a patriotic concert with famed inspirational recording artist, Larnelle Harris, at the Waikiki Shell. In 2000, the team traveled to Jerusalem to present the musical David – A Man After God’s Own Heart in the historic Citadel of David on the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. At the invitation of the Bethlehem city council, they also presented a concert entitled Christmas in June in Manger Square - the historic site of Christ’s birth - to help mark that city’s year-long celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Jesus’ birth. The St. Louis Concert Choir was birthed out of a similar tour in 1996 featuring 600 singers and many of America’s top Christian recording artists.

Bob Pickett, founder, producer and director of the Choir, has conducted choirs across the USA for over 30 years, traveling for six years and conducting 2000 concerts with the Festival of Praise Choir, directing the Grace Choir and Grace Singers at Grace Church - Saint Louis for over seven years, and rehearsing and organizing the 200-voice choirs for performances of The Young Messiah Tour and The Emmanuel Tour, and the Ensemble for The My Utmost for His Highest Tour, as they appeared in St. Louis at the Kiel Center, the Arena, and Riverport Amphitheater. In 2004 he was guest conductor at his alma mater for the Heidelberg College Alumni Choir and co-director of the St. Louis Worship Choir for the National Day of Prayer Concert of Prayer television broadcast. He currently serves as Pastor of Worship Arts and choir director at Grace Church.

Don’t wait until the last minute to get your tickets to this incredible holiday event -- call (800-993-7464) today.