Bonners Ferry Community Orchestra presents “Christmas through the Ages”

The Bonners Ferry Community Orchestra will be performing a free holiday concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, at Bonners Ferry High School’s Becker Auditorium. 

The concert, titled “Christmas through the Ages,” will feature the development of Christmas music, from ancient times to the present. To do this, the orchestra will be joined by a number of vocalists. 

The concert begins with an ancient song performed a cappella by a group of singers from Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Church in Bonners Ferry. The orchestra’s brass section will perform an arrangement of “Virga Jesse” (translated “branch of Jesse” or “rod of Jesse”), which was originally sung in the 8th century. This section of the program also includes other carols with very old roots, including some which are still popular today – such as “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”. Tiny Seeds to Mighty Oaks Youth Choir, with singers ages 7 through 18, will join the orchestra on several of the songs. 

Next, the program highlights music’s Classical Period with a sing-along of several excerpts from Handel’s “Messiah”, one of the most famous Christmas pieces of all time: “And the Glory of the Lord”; “For Unto Us a Child is Born”; and, of course, the “Hallelujah Chorus”. Audience members will be invited to join in as singers on the stage lead them in these exuberant songs. Anyone who has the vocal music is encouraged to bring it with them to the concert, and the orchestra will also have extra copies of the music for those who need it. 

Rounding out the program are other familiar tunes such as “O Holy Night”; “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”; “Mary, Did You Know?” (with Tatiana Dewberry as vocal soloist); and medleys of more contemporary songs and pieces from Broadway musicals.   

The Bonners Ferry Community Orchestra is directed by Glenda Novinger and includes almost 50 musicians of all levels of experience. The players range from teenagers to retirees, and they travel to rehearsal each week from throughout Boundary and Bonner counties, as well Troy and Libby, Montana.   

For those who play an instrument and would like to join the orchestra, please contact Glenda Novinger at 208-597-1118. Information: bonnersferryorchestra.org