It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas

The holiday season is finally here, and what better way to spread Christmas cheer than with a traditional Christmas concert? Santa Monica College’s music department embraced the Christmas spirit Saturday night by performing their Chamber Choir Concert at the Edye Second Space at the SMC Performing Arts Center. The concert was directed by Nike St. Clair, and its choir members consisted of students and community members.

The chamber concert featured 15 different Christmas songs, some traditional and some non-traditional. The singers were accompanied by several different instruments including the piano, oboe and harp.

St. Clair has been working with the choir for several months to prepare for the concert.

“We have been rehearsing since early September, once a week for three hours,” St. Clair said. “I chose the songs because I wanted the harp to be the centerpiece of the performance, and so I specifically looked for pieces for the harp.”

Some of the songs included in the concert were “The Joy of Love: This is the Truth” by Kirke Mechem, “Go, Tell It on the Mountain” by Frank Ferko and “The Holly and the Ivy” by Stephen Paulus.

The chamber choir at SMC is full of tremendous talents such as Chris Chappell. He has been singing for nearly four years, although he originally started out playing the clarinet.

“It was actually an embarrassing moment,” Chappell said. “I was rehearsing clarinet, and decided to take a break. My band teacher heard me singing and coerced me into singing in a choir. This will be my third semester singing with the Santa Monica College chamber choir.”

Chappell needed no coercing when reflecting on Saturday’s performance.

“I loved the music; I feel like we did really well, and it was a very fun and good experience,” he said.

The concert was a perfect start to the holiday season. The songs were performed flawlessly, showcasing the vocal talents of the choir. The harp, played by Liesl Erman, was played beautifully and fell into place with the overall vibe of the concert.

The show ended with a standing ovation from the audience.

For the month of December, there will be many performances from SMC’s music department, including orchestral concerts, musical theater and many different ensembles.

For more information, visit SMC’s event page at www.smc.edu/eventsinfo or call (310) 343-3005.