Choral masterworks and Christmas carols will fill Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City when the ETSU Chorale, Men’s Ensemble, Women’s Ensemble and the TenBucsWorth present their annual Christmas Concert.
The concert will be given Friday at 8 p.m. and will feature a cappella performances with occasional accompaniment on organ, trumpet, piano and hand-held percussion instruments.
“The sacred music that we do is picked for its artistic value, and it’s music that I think is appropriate to most any faith,” said Thomas Jenrette, director of choral activities and professor of music.
Jenrette said a cappella music is his favorite because the voice is limitless. He said it is the most versatile and pure of all the instruments.
“The human voice is capable of such a range of color and emotion,” he said.
This is the 20th year the concert has been performed at the church. Jenrette said it is one of a few facilities in town that provides enough space and the correct acoustics for choral singing.
Jenrette said other facilities are intended for amplified music, and choral groups do not use microphones.
“A choir doesn’t sound like a choir without the right kind of box,” he said.
Jenrette said the groups practice approximately five days per week, and that discipline has earned those groups special recognition.
For example, the Men’s Ensemble will perform at the White House on Dec. 18. The concert at Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church will include music that the group will perform at the White House event.
The Men’s Ensemble will perform arrangements of carols such as “The First Noel” and “I Saw Three Ships.”
The Chorale will sing in four languages and will present works including Rejoice in the Lamb, a cantata with music written by 20th century British composer Benjamin Britten.
Jenrette said it is a difficult and challenging piece that features four soloists, mixed choir and organ accompaniment. His opinion is the difficulty is a sign of greatness.
“If you can appreciate it fully, at first, when you are introduced to it, I think it’s suspect,” he said.
Jenrette hopes people will come to the concert because the groups are doing good work.
“When the students work this hard at an artistic endeavor, which is something they don’t do for profit, they don’t do for material gain, they do it primarily because it feeds their souls, they need to be supported in making that effort,” he said.
The concert is free.
For more information, call 439-6949 or 439-4270.

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