zu •
Page 8
(Pije £lprf hub ©beeruer
December 15,1999
Gospel Christmas’ to feature local gospel singers with symphony
(ONTRlBLTfcD STORY
FOR
T he P ortland O bserver
More than 100 voices culled from
19 gospel choirs throughout the
region will come together to form
the northwest Community Gospel
Chorus forthe Oregon Symphony’s
A Gospel Christmas,” Saturday,
Dec. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Arlene
Schnitzer C oncert H all in the
Portland Center the Performing
Arts. Charles Floyd will conduct
this exhilarating evening o f gospel
and spiritual Christm as music.
Media support is providedby KINK
fm 102.
Since 1993, Floyd has conducted
the annual” Gospel night at Pops”
at Boston’s Symphony Hall and
Esplanade Pavilion and has recently
conducted his “ Gospel Christmas”
w ith the A tlanta and H ouston
Symphonies. Also a pianist and
composer, Floyd is perhaps best
known for his woik as Natalie Cole’s
arranger and conductor. Their
eleven-year partnership includes
such p rojects as the m ultiple
Grammy Award-winning tribute to
N at
K ing
C o le
e n title d
“Unforgettable, with Love
and the E m m y A w a rd ­
w in n in g
PBS
“ G reat
Performances" concert video.
Floyd’s program will feature
the gospel ch oir singing
Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus”
an d H a lle lu ja h ” from
“Soulful Messiah”; Floyd’s
own composition, “For Unto
U s” ; D onald L aw rence’s
“Heaven” featuring soprano
R ene
W oods;
F red
hammond’s Let the Praise
Begin” featuring tenor John
Gainer; Thomas W hitfield’s
“W ith M y W hole H e a rt’
featuring tenor Terry Davis; and
“Go tell it on the Mountain. “ Other
selections to be preformed include
Bach’s Little Fugue in G minor and
grieg’s Shepherd Boy” from “Lyric
Pieces” (orchestra only); “The first
Noel” featuring alto Marilyn Keller;
and Away in a m anger’ featuring
so p ra n o L atish M cF arlan d .
Additional vocalists scheduled to
appear include The Jackson Sisters
and alto Pamela Baker.
Tickets range in price from $18.75
to $50 and may be purchased at the
Oregon Symphony Tickets office
Monday- Saturday 9am to 5 pm or
charged by phone at (503) 228-
1353 or (800) 228-7343.
Tickets also may be purchased at
all Ticketsm aster outlets (790-
ARTS).
!
LIFE IS A CONTACT SPORT
JAMES WOODS
U COOL J
ORNAIS QUAID
JAMIE EOHH
* 7 »
G iven
Charles Floyd
X-mas
S u n d ay
from page 7
the time around the W inter Solstice
is celebrated as the Feast o f Lights.
Returning to the Darkness
We are living in a time when
in d iv id u a ls are ta k in g m ore
responsibility for their spiritual
lives, planning and conducting
ceremonies for themselves instead
o f b e in g a m e m b e r o f a
congregation.
There is no monopoly on this season,
it is a sacred time celebrated by
many traditions world wide and no
one is excluded from this time o f
light So amongst the bustle o f
shopping and preparation for
Christmas as we know it, set
aside a time on the eve of
December 21 and either light
a candle or a fire. Think o f the
deep o f winter and know that
although it is the darkest time
o f the year, the sun will return
to renew the land in the
Spring. Gaze into the flame
and think o f what you would
like to manifest in the New
Year and in doing so, you
will be sharing an experience
that is as old as time.
K*’*i!*}
jtm s ih
- maime
R
WflRNTR BROS Presens
NERS M B -
0 1 I M N Í . SI P M
O f f l X Ü H U H U , [RiGHflMBöRG JONAIH,
5ÄN ’ îJOHHlOBAN. OllVIR STONE f
1 - r OMWR SIONE
tim i snyqiyensunilav net
DECïMBf R 22
(HIVED SEHNE
0 ÖANHAISEEO