Chorale Sings for Its Supper

Members of the Master Chorale of Orange County spread holiday cheer Sunday at their “Echoes of Christmas” concert and post-performance party.

About 130 guests turned up at the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa to give a champagne toast to chorale members who sang Christmas classics at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Christmas Past and Present

Led by their charismatic conductor William Hall, the chorale performed both traditional well-loved carols such as “O Tannenbaum” and lesser-known contemporary works.

“The concert was beautiful. I love the way they mixed the old favorites in with the new,” said Donna Peebles, party chairwoman.

While chorale members might have known some of the carols since childhood, this was not an easy performance.

“It’s terribly difficult when you have so many short pieces,” said Hall, who arrived at the reception with his son, Christopher.

“You have just two or three minutes to get energized in one style of music, then you have to change gears very quickly.”

For their part, chorale members enjoyed seeing the audience get into the Christmas spirit.

“It’s fun to watch their mood as your songs change,” said Bob Guyett, board president and chorale member. “You go into something peaceful and they just kind of melt. Then you do something joyous and they perk up. I watched five ladies in the front row and they were so into the music--they lived and died with each song. It was wonderful.”

Rave Reviews

Guests nibbled on honey-baked ham and smoked turkey, strawberries dipped in white chocolate, butterscotch brownies and Christmas cookies. While sipping champagne, they traded views on the concert.

Steve Ostrin, a member of the chorale and its board, sat in the audience with wife, Phyllis, and watched the choir perform for the first time.

“I missed a couple of rehearsals so I couldn’t perform tonight. So it was a rare treat to hear us sing,” he said. “Hall had the audience in the palm of his hand. I think if he had told them to cry they would have.”

Loretta Robinson, director of the Costa Mesa Children’s Chorus, was relieved her charges sang a few carols like angels--with one brief interlude when a boy sneezed twice during “Blessed Be That Maid Mary.”

“He started sneezing and I thought, ‘What do I do now? Oh well, just let him sneeze,’ ” Robinson said.

Other guests were Chuck and Sandra McCune, John Nuzzo, Deborah Winsor-Williams, John and Kay Brown, Stan Califf, Jim and Lynne Doti, Eric and Lila Nelson, William Reinking and Bob and Maralys Wills.