The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Sisters Community Choir will perform two free Christmas concerts here on Saturday and Sunday, December 20-21, at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration.

The 14-member choir will do a program primarily of Christmas music with several popular sing-along carols at the end in which the audience will become part of the choir, according to George Larson, choir director.

The program will include: "When Christ was Born of Mary Free," by Edwin Fissinger, and "The Wexford Carol," by Linda Spevacek. A highlight will be several of the Alfred Burt carols, the best known of which is, "Caroling, Caroling."

Burt and his father, the Rev. Bates G. Burt, and a family friend, Wihla Hutson, collaborated to compose a carol each year which they then sent out to friends and other family members as their Christmas card. Fifteen of the carols were eventually published.

Members of the choir include Winnie Givot, Bonnie Johnson and Betty Peterson, sopranos; Joyce Burk Brown, Gwen Philpsen, Lorene Richardson and Peggy Tehan, altos. Donita Elbert sings tenor, an unusual part for a female.

Among the men singers are Mel Miles, tenor; and Roger Fairfield, Si Simonsen, Emil Smith and Martin Winch, basses. Jane Moore is the piano accompanist.

Johnson and Philpsen join together within a duet singing, "In the Bleak Midwinter," and Peterson, Tehan and Elbert will sing a trio, "On a Cold December Night." A quartet composed of Simonsen, Fairfield, Miles and Tehan will sing, "Lil' Innocent Lamb" and Johnson will sing a solo on "Sweet Was the Song."

Prior to the audience sing-along, the choir will sing a traditional round of "Christmas is Coming" and close with "Three Noels" by Claire Grundman.

The Saturday concert will be at 7 p.m., and the Sunday concert will be at 2 p.m. Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration is located about 1/4 mile west of Sisters at 68825 Brooks Camp Road.