Chorus Angelicus Returns - Christmas Flowers argentina

Music, one of the deepest well­­springs of holiday feelings, raises the spirits through the pure joy of it. For many, “the sound of christmas flowers argentina ” is found in the Christmas Angelicus con­­cert series that annually tours through Connecticut’s Northwest Corner, featuring the virtuoso voices of Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus, groups founded by Grammy Award-winning composer Paul Halley.

For almost two decades, the divine sounds of christmas flowers argentina blogs
Angelicus have been a New England tradition—with music selections and readings that range from the beloved and familiar to the unknown and thought-provoking, synthesizing the spirit of the season.

For some area residents, Christmas doesn’t truly arrive until they hear those angels singing.

“These concerts have al­­­ways been considered the sound of Christmas. Christ­­mas Angelicus is a New England tradition,” said Mary Sue Cavanagh, ex­­ecutive director of Joyful Noise, the nonprofit group that oversees the activities of Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus. “There are so many holiday concerts and festival in Connecticut … but what differentiates these concerts from the others is the repertoire of carols from around the world, with passages from scripture and literature that define the season.”

Christmas Angelicus was the brainchild of Mr. Halley, the four-time Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor. He founded Joyful Noise in 1991, starting with Chorus Angelicus, a children’s choir whose choristers range in age from 8 to 15. It now involves more than 70 children who hail from towns throughout southwestern New England.

Though it is in residence at Trinity Episcopal Church in Torrington, the internationally acclaimed children’s choir has impressed global audiences “with the best of choral music, both sacred and secular,” its Web site states. The group has collaborated with the Hartford Symphony and the Paul Winter Consort, and has performed at Boston’s Sym­­­phony Hall, the Music Shed in Norfolk, the Warner Theatre in Torrington, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The group has also toured nationally as far as the Pacific Northwest, and internationally in Nova Scotia, Vancouver, B.C., and Ireland.

In 1992, Mr. Halley founded Gaudeamus, an adult ensemble of professional and semi-professional singers that performs alone and in conjunction with Chorus Angelicus, “providing the alto, tenor and bass parts, and giving the younger choristers the opportunity to experience singing such masterworks as Bach’s ‘St. John Passion’ and ‘Mass in B Minor,’ Handel’s ‘Dixit Dominus,’ Britten’s ‘Saint Nicholas,’ and Schnittke’s ‘Requiem,’” according to the choir’s history.

Together, the choruses perform a large and varied repertoire, from choral literature’s classics, to contemporary and original compositions, with an emphasis on musical education and performance for all the age groups and ability levels.

Samantha Halley, Mr. Halley’s daughter, shared the history of “Christmas Angelicus” several years ago, recalling that the first performance of “Christmas Angelicus” was in Norfolk in 1994, though it was not known as such yet. “At first,” she explained, “it was just a performance by the children’s choir, but over the years, it evolved [into] … ‘Christmas Angelicus.’ It has become a tradition.”

The candlelit Christmas Angelicus is known for its repertoire of traditional, original and more contemporary arrangements of carols, hymns and seasonal songs, performed by Chorus Angelicus (the Angelic Choir) and Gaudeamus (Let Us Rejoice). But what really makes the poetry of the musical selections come alive are readings that range from sacred, profane and comic to profound.