The Oratorio Society presents Christmas at The Paramount
The Oratorio Society of Virginia will ring in the joyful holiday season with seasonal favorites, as well as John Rutter’s Gloria accompanied by a brass ensemble. The public are invited to celebrate with The Oratorio Society at these favorite community concerts at The Paramount Theater in downtown Charlottesville, Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at The Paramount Box Office by going to https://www.theparamount.net/ or call 434-979-1333 or 215 E. Main St., Mon – Fri, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. A Livestream option is also being made available for the evening performance at 7:30 p.m. Viewers may purchase access at www.oratoriosociety.org.
At the heart of what we do is our commitment to the community. We seek to engage and create opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in, listen to, and learn about great choral music. At this year’s Christmas at The Paramount concerts we welcome not only our Oratorio orchestra and chorus, but also two local youth choirs to the stage. Michael Slon, Music Director of the Oratorio Society and Director of Choral Music at UVA, conducts the concerts—which also include arrangements from The Nutcracker and A Charlie Brown Christmas, favorite carols such as “The First Nowell” and “Jingle Bells,” and a gospel arrangement of “Joy to the World.”
“We always look forward to these concerts, and to creating joy for the holiday season as part of our community’s life,” says Slon. “As we learned during the pandemic, there is no replacement for experiencing music live, and together – so we are thrilled to welcome audiences to our annual performances at the Paramount.”
The Oratorio Society of Virginia is the region’s longest-running community chorus, inspiring others through quality musical performances and educational opportunities for more than fifty years. Members of the chorus span in age from high school students to retirees, and come from a wide variety of backgrounds and professions; the group welcomes new singers at auditions each semester. Since its founding in 1966, the group has been dedicated to presenting performances of the highest caliber. Recent repertoire has included works by Bach, Bernstein, Bonds, Faure, Finzi, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and Verdi. Collaborations with the UVA University Singers, Charlottesville Symphony, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Zion Union Baptist Church, Charlottesville Opera, Charlottesville Ballet, and others have enriched the group’s programming. The ensemble also invites regional youth choruses to share the stage at their annual holiday concerts and each spring offers an annual “Together in Song” event open to community singers, and benefitting local charities.
For more information visit: https://www.oratoriosociety.org/
These are not UVA Music Department concerts, they are affiliated events. Please contact the Oratorio Society for more information.