Choirs Ring In the Holidays With Special Church Events

With their major holiday concerts behind them, most local choirs have stored away their well-worn “Messiah” scores for another season. But many church services Sunday and Monday, which is Christmas Eve, will provide other musical offerings in the context of liturgies and rituals from many traditions. Here is a sampling of these musical services.

Looking forward to the upcoming year of Mozart celebrations, St. Brigid Catholic Church in Pacific Beach will present Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F Major, K. 192, at the 10 p.m. service Christmas Eve. Soloists, parish choir and orchestra will be conducted by music director Jerry Witt. On Christmas at 11:45 a.m., Witt’s choristers will sing the “Missa ad Praesepe” by George Malcolm.

At Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, El Cajon, music director Kenneth Nielson’s 90-voice children’s choir will be assisted by San Diego Symphony harpist Sheila Sterling at the 4:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service. For the 9:30 p.m. service, the adult choir will sing anthems including “Awake the Trumpet’s Loft Sound” and Carl Schalk’s “Before the Marvel of This Night.”

Excerpts from contemporary British composer John Rutter’s cantata “The Star Carol,” along with Robert Shaw’s “Many Moods of Christmas,” will be performed by the College Avenue Baptist Chancel Choir and Orchestra. Minister of Music Bradley Nelson will conduct the San Diego church’s musical groups for this 6 p.m. service on Christmas Eve.

Carol arrangements by Rutter will also be featured at the 11 p.m. traditional candlelight service at the La Jolla Presbyterian Church. Minister of Music Martin Wright will conduct the La Jolla church’s chancel choir in the “Alleluia” from J. S. Bach’s Cantata 142.

The service of lessons and carols, a tradition begun by the bishop of Truro, England, and made famous by the Kings College Choir, will be offered at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, San Diego, at 5 p.m. Sunday. Music director Edgar Billups will lead the Cathedral Choristers, a choir of men and boys, in Gustav Holst’s “Christmas Day” and Ned Rorem’s “Christmas Carol.” At 4:45 p.m., the girls of the cathedral’s St. Cecilia Choir will sing carols as a prelude to the service. For the cathedral’s 10:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Eucharist, the adult choir will sing Hans Leo Hassler’s “Missa Secunda,” as well as motets by Tomas Luis de Victoria.

At All Souls’ Episcopal Church, Point Loma, the 10:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service will include a candlelight procession to the Gregorian chant setting of “O Come, O Come Emanuel.” Music Director Robert Thompson will lead the adult choir in J. S. Bach’s “Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light” and in “Christmas Lullaby,” composed by All Souls’ choir member Robert Ehmann.

In the patio of First Lutheran Church in downtown San Diego, the choir will lead Christmas caroling at 7:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The traditional candlelight service will follow at 8 p.m.

The San Diego Brass Consort will play carols and canzonas at the three Christmas Eve services, 6:30, 9 and 11 p.m., at the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church.