NEWBURYPORT -- Cantemus Chamber Chorus, with 42 members from across the North Shore, will present three concerts in December that share "The Peace of Wild Things."
The concerts will take place in three North Shore towns: Beverly on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 4 Ocean St.; Newburyport on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 166 High St.; and Gloucester on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 4 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 10 Church St.
Inspired by the animal kingdom, this concert preserves some seasonal traditions, and goes beyond. The repertoire ranges from Josquin des Prez and Mendelssohn to contemporary composers Eric Whitacre and Craig Hella Johnson. Some pieces reflect on the grace and beauty of the natural world; some involve animals being personified or used as poetic symbols; and some mimic actual animal sounds.
Flutists Kenji Kikuchi and Ceora Jaffe will open the concert with a flute prelude. Kikuchi will join Cantemus accompanist Jeffrey Mead and Cantemus singer Patty Clark on a four-hand piano arrangement of selections from Saint-Saëns' "Carnival of the Animals." Both flutists will accompany the chorus on Jennifer Higdon's "O Magnum Mysterium," and small ensembles of singers will be featured throughout the varied program.
"We are thrilled to present this expansive program of choral music from the 15th through the 21st century. The animal kingdom has provided a deep well of inspiration for poets and composers who have sought to capture their grace and beauty, as well as the seemingly human qualities of our fauna friends," Cantemus Artistic Director Jason Iannuzzi said.
Cantemus acknowledges funding support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and from the local cultural councils of Amesbury, Boxford, Essex, Ipswich, Marblehead, Newbury, and Newburyport. Cantemus participates in the Card to Culture program, a Mass Cultural Council initiative that offers reduced-price tickets to card holders.
Cantemus is a member of Chorus America, MASSCreative.org, and the Greater Boston Choral Consortium.
For more information about the program and to purchase tickets, visit www.cantemus.org/concerts. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.