Chorale offers up a ‘Noël’

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The 80-voice strong Vashon Island Chorale, led by maestro Gary Cannon, will take the stage for a holiday concert on 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, at Bethel Church.

The concert, “Noël: A French Christmas,” will include the Chorale’s rendition of “Oratorio de Noël” by Camille Saint-Saëns.

Marita Ericksen, Emily Belshaw, Susan Valenti, Joe Farmer and Gary Koch will have solos in the piece.

The program will also include pieces by Benjamin Britten, Anton Bruckner and Hector Berlioz.

Vashon Opera artistic director and soprano Jennifer Krikawa will be featured in a performance of the soaring Christmas song, “O Holy Night.”

Other singers showcased in quartets will include Amy Holmes, Shannon Flora, Charles Lovekin, Dick Paulsen, Arlette Moody, Barb Adams, Anne Terry and Susan Valenti.

The concert will also boast a 16-piece orchestra led by concertmistress Karin Choo.

And although French music will be the main emphasis of the concert, an American classic will close the show, when Vashon Youth Chorus joins the rest of the choir to perform “Christmastime is Here,” a classic song that was written for the television special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Tickets to the concert cost $12.50 and $10 and are on sale at the Blue Heron, Vashon Book Shop and Books by the Way.