Oxford Civic Chorus invites you to celebrate the joy with its annual winter concert at 3 pm December 13 in David H. Nutt Auditorium.
The choir, with more than 70 singers from North Mississippi and the Oxford community, has been presenting a winter concert for 28 years. The program this year features two choral works to get you in the spirit, Bob Chilcott’s major new carol suite, entitled “Mary, Mother,” which premiered at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London in 2022 and Taylor Scott Davis‘ “Magnificat,” a five-movement composition whose text is the historic Magnificat text found in scripture.
The chorus has grown significantly over the past year, and the sound produced by a group of this size is truly inspiring. This semester, four emerging conductors from the north Mississippi community, Benton Donahue, Keely Kelso, Lydia Davis, and Ontarius Woodland, will be featured through the new OCC Conductor Fellows Program. Each Fellow will lead the chorus in one movement of a selected piece.
Oxford Civic Chorus Artist Director Dr. Debra Atkinson says of the pieces:
“I was drawn in by the way Davis set this beautiful text. It was powerful but also had moments of such beautiful tenderness. Taylor Scott Davis is a new composer to me and I am very excited about presenting this work.
Bob Chilcott’s “Mary, Mother,” has a simplicity that is the perfect complement to the majesty of Davis’ “Magnificat.” Chilcott’s composition follows Mary’s journey as she travels the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem to deliver her son. I anticipate these selections will touch the audience as they have touched me.”
This concert is free, funded by donations from the community and in part by a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission. The choir also received a grant from Lafayette Oxford Foundation for Tomorrow (LOFT).
Oxford Civic Chorus, a 501(c)(3), has been inspiring singers, enriching community and expanding musical horizons since 1998. The choir gathers for weekly rehearsals, performs two concerts a year, and is available to sing at local events. New members are always welcome. Join, donate, or learn more at oxfordcivicchorus.org and facebook.com/OxfordCivicChorus.
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