St.
Louis Concert Choir Presents
Christmas in Color December 6 and 7, 2008
By Jim Day
In a world that seems black and white with doubt,
economic questions, challenging job markets and combative elections, it’s
important to bring color and joy to life by focusing on the celebration of
Christmas. This year, the St. Louis
Concert Choir presents their annual musical celebration of the holiday, Christmas In Color, on Saturday and Sunday,
December 6th and 7th, 
at
the Pillsbury Chapel in the Dale Williams Fine Arts Center on the campus of
Employing
beautiful choral and solo music, elegant dance, joyful children, creative
staging, dramatic storytelling, and state-of-the-art sound and lighting, this
year’s Christmas production will warm the hearts of young and old alike by
presenting the true meaning of Christmas to all.
The St. Louis
Concert Choir brings together a cast of over 100 of the metro area’s brightest
and best singers, dancers, actors and kids to share the familiar songs of
Christmas, the carols that we all love, the story of the Jesus in the manger,
and the delight that this holiday brings to everyone. Celebrating their twelfth season together,
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 – St. Louis in Maryland
Heights. This enthusiastic group of
dedicated and talented singers will join forces with the Ekklesia Dance Company
and the Ekklesia Kids under the direction of choreographer, Christina McArthur
Rongey, to present a concert of favorite Christmas music, old and new.
Christmas In Color will have something
for everyone. The audience will have 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 also includes a trip to Bethlehem
to meet the eyewitnesses to the birth of Jesus, each one sharing their insights
from their encounter with the Savior, as the actors and Choir present the real
story of the first Christmas with a live 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 drama writer and director for the production. His ability to entertain and evoke laughter
from an audience is legendary and this year will be no exception. For over 30 years, Lee has traveled the country
presenting his one-man dramatic sketches of biblical characters with humor and
power. He also conducts summer drama
workshops in the St. Louis area; teaches classes at Missouri Baptist University
and pastors a church in Lake St. Louis. Joining
Lee are two other powerful tenor vocalists and audience favorites, Brian
Flanagan, soloist and songwriter from Florissant, MO and Brian Brown, popular
Nashville vocalist and studio artist returning in his sixth appearance with the
Choir. All three will be featured in
solo performances as well as joining forces as The Three Tenors.
In addition,
this year’s program features for the first time a live 16-piece Big Band on
stage, and a special surprise guest artist who will delight the audience.
Christmas In Color features a program of
musical Christmas favorites including several jazz arrangements of standards
featuring the Big Band and new and powerful songs that will touch the heart.
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 Sleigh
Ride, Jingle Bells, Silent Night, Una Fiesta Navidad and the stirring Grammy-nominated, You Raise Me Up. The Ensemble will present a newly updated
version of the audience favorite, Deck
the Halls Through the Decades portraying numerous American musical icons of
the 20th century.
Combine the
talents of the Concert Choir and Ensemble, the Three Tenors, the graceful dance
troupe from Ekklesia, the rich vocals of the Brotherhood Men’s Chorus, the
energetic Ekklesia Kids Chorus, the Big Band and the live nativity, and there
will be more variety than one can handle.
Christmas In Color will be presented
three times at the beautiful Pillsbury Chapel at the Dale Williams Fine Arts
Center on the campus of
Tickets for
all performances are available by calling (800) 993-7464, or by contacting
any member of the Choir. Special ‘Maestro
Circle’ tickets are available this 
year,
which includes prime seating and a reception following the performance where
ticket holders can meet the director and guest artists in person.
The St. Louis
Concert Choir is a project of Concert Ministries, Inc., of Orlando, Florida
(CMI), and one of America’s foremost Christian producers, Thurlow Spurr. Concert Ministries Inc. has sponsored similar
Choirs in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, New York, and New Jersey,
and is in their 36th season of presenting concerts in Michigan and Ohio.
Involved in
more than just making music, in June of 2006, CMI took a team of volunteers for
the second consecutive year to the Bahamas to give practical help to victims of
the numerous hurricanes that pummeled the island nation. 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
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. This past May the Choir participated in the
St. Louis event for the Global Day of Prayer at Busch Stadium as a part of a
city-wide mass choir.
In addition
to the Concert Choir and the guest artists, the concert will also feature
soloists Jerome Rogers (Alorton), Lisa Rogerson (St. Louis), Lesley Bridges
(Sullivan, MO), Terry Lolling (O’Fallon, MO) and newcomers Tracy King (Maryland
Heights, MO) and Venita McCloud (St. Louis).
Bob Pickett,
founder, producer and director of the Choir, has conducted Choirs across the country
for over 35 years, traveling for six years and conducting 2000 concerts with
the Festival of Praise Choir, directing the Grace Choir and GraceSingers at
Grace Church – St. Louis for eleven years, and rehearsing and organizing the
200-voice choirs for performances of The
Young Messiah Tour and The Emmanuel
Tour, as well as 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. Last year he served as assistant director and
musical coordinator for a grand reunion of 50 former members of the championship
vocal ensemble, The Everett Chorale, representing nine graduating classes at
Everett High School (Lansing, MI) for a retreat and packed out concert to honor
their mentor, Tom Oakley Thompson, in a real-life ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus’ experience. In May of this year he conducted
the citywide mass choir for the Global Day of Prayer event at Busch Stadium and
will again serve in that capacity on May 31, 2009, at the event at the Chaifetz
Arena on the campus of St. Louis University.
He currently serves as Associate Pastor and Choir Director at Grace
Church – St. Louis.
Singers interested
in joining this on-going community choir are invited to contact Mr. Pickett
at (636) 926-0701.
