The worlds of opera and popular music are colliding for the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra’s latest fundraiser.
Opera singer Marcia Jones Thom and singer/songwriter Paddy Dougherty are producing and performing in “Christmas and Candlelight,” a program of new and old holiday tunes, at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 23 at Oakwood Country Club.
The orchestra is not performing at the event.
Both Thom, a soprano who has performed with operas all over the country, and Dougherty, leader of the popular Paddy D Quartet, will be singing with a variety of special guests, including the Harps of Gold harp ensemble and bagpiper William Plail.
Tickets for the event are $75 each, with tables of eight for $500. Tickets can be purchased online at www.LynchburgTickets.com. For more information, call (434) 845-6604 or visit www.lynchburgsymphony.com.
Forest Dance Academy celebrates the holidays
The Forest Dance Academy’s biannual Christmas Show, themed around “The Polar Express,” is scheduled for 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday at Jefferson Forest High School.
Forty dancers, ages 5 to 18, will hit the stage, performing a variety of dances — everything from hip hop to ballet to lyrical — to songs from the movie version of “Express,” a tale about a doubtful boy who takes a magical train to meet Santa Claus at the North Pole on Christmas Eve.
Well-known choreographer Stepp Stewart, who has recently appeared on “The Dr. Oz Show,” is performing as the train’s conductor, a role played by Tom Hanks in the film.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the studio on Waterlick Road. For more information, call (434) 525-0428.
Forest church hosts sing-a-long
Forest Presbyterian Church is holding a “Messiah Sing-a-Long,” in which the public is invited to sing all of Part I — the “Christmas” section — with the instrumentalists and the conductor, at 7 p.m. Monday.
During Advent, similar events are held all over the world, such as the standing-room only sing-a-long held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to celebrate Handel’s 268-year-old oratorio.
This is Forest Presbyterian’s third year. Soloists will be singing the more difficult recitatives and arias, accompanied by a string chamber orchestra and harpsichord.
For its part, the audience will sing the well-known choruses, including “And the Glory of The Lord,” “For Unto Us a Child Is Born,” and the “Hallelujah Chorus.”
“Students who are in a choral group are particularly encouraged to come and sing with us,” says conductor Carl Harris, who was a choral music instructor at E.C. Glass and Heritage high schools and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.
“‘Messiah’ is a very important part of choral literature.”
A few copies of the text will be available at the church for those who don’t have their own music.
For more information, call the church at (434) 525-5500.
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