Description

On December 13, 2024, at 8pm, the newly formed Great Bend Chamber Choir will present a radiant holiday program titled A Rose in Winter. Focusing on Marian themes, or carols and hymns dedicated to Mary, this thoughtfully curated concert promises to envelop the listener in a profound sense of serenity and wonder, evoking the stillness and mystery of the Christmas story. Opening with Jim Clements’ Gabriel’s Message, a crisp and ethereal setting of the Annunciation, the concert sets a contemplative tone that will carry through the evening. Thomas A. Miller’s The Frozen December, with its icy harmonies and delicate dissonances, paints a vivid picture of winter’s chill, providing a striking contrast to the warmth of Gjeilo’s luminous arrangement of In the Bleak Midwinter. The traditional There is No Rose adds an ancient and mystical air, while Poulenc’s O Magnum Mysterium offers a moment of reverence and awe, its rich textures embodying the wonder of Christ’s birth. Gorecki’s Totus Tuus deepens the program’s emotional palette with its soaring lines and meditative simplicity, while Peter Warlock’s Bethlehem Down bathes the listener in a darkly rich, harmonic world. More intimate moments come through Barnaby Smith’s touching arrangement of Coventry Carol, and Luboff’s tender Still, Still, Still. The concert concludes with the choir’s shimmering performance of Ave Verum Corpus (Jenkins) and a luminous Stille Nacht, arranged in a six-part round, evoking a peaceful, hushed close to this stunning program. “A Rose in Winter” is a celebration of both the divine and human, offering a sublime respite amidst the season’s busy clamor.