Fox Valley holiday concerts
Christmas concert: Join the Marmion-Rosary Band, Chorus and Jazz Ensemble in its Christmas music celebration at the annual Christmas Concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, in the Marmion Academy gym, 1000 Butterfield Road in Aurora. The public is welcome to attend this free event. A freewill offering benefiting the Marmion Capital Improvement Fund will be accepted. The concert opens with the selections by the 2008 North Shore Jazz Festival Class A Champion Marmion-Rosary Jazz Ensemble and Quintet and the 2008 IHSA Class A First Division award winning Men's Chorus. They will be followed by the 2008 Wisconsin State Music Association First Division award winning Combined Band, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble. Raffle tickets will be sold before the concert and during intermission for a valuable Gift Card Tree. The winner will be drawn at the end of the concert and need not be present to win. All proceeds go to support the band's performance trip to Disney World next year. The Marmion-Rosary Band is made up of students from Marmion Academy and Rosary High School and is directed by Steven Thurlow. The concert band is directed by Jonathan Hauser.
Service of Lessons and Carols: On Sunday, Dec. 14, St. Charles' Episcopal Church, 994 N. Fifth Ave., (Route 25) in St. Charles, will welcome the community to a candlelit Advent Service of Lessons and Carols at 5 p.m. Traditional scriptural readings, congregational carols and anthems by the adult choir will focus on preparation for Christmas and the mystery of the Incarnation. Community leaders, including St. Charles Mayor Don DeWitt and St. Charles North High School principal Kim Zupec, will be among the readers. Information on this and other Advent and Christmas worship services, outreach and educational programs and the outdoor labyrinth, call (630) 584-2596 or stcharlesepiscopal.org.
Charlie Brown's Christmas: Marklund's Developmental Training Program presents the musical "Charlie Brown's Christmas" at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, in the multipurpose room at Marklund Hyde Center, 1S450 Wyatt Drive, Geneva. The play is modified creatively for Marklund's clients to provide maximum participation by the use of adaptive devices such as switches and augmentive communication tools that provide extraordinary tactile and audible feedback to people living with physical disabilities. Also participation is enhanced by singing and playing musical instruments. Nearly 20 Marklund clients are performing either as characters in the play or as chorus members. The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, call (630) 593-5482.
A Journey To Bethlehem: The Rosary Fine Arts Department will present its annual Christmas concert. "A Journey To Bethlehem" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, in the McEnroe Auditorium at Rosary High School, 901 N. Edgelawn Drive, Aurora. The concert features more than 100 students from Rosary and Marmion Academy. The Rosary Symphony Orchestra, Beginning and Advanced Choruses, Ensemble, and Vox Concordis will perform a variety of seasonal music including traditional hymns ("It Came Upon The Midnight Clear," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "Coventry Carol"), seasonal standards ("Winter Wonderland," "Silver Bells," "Deck the Hall") and other wintry delights. The ensembles will combine to perform Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantata 142: "Unto Us A Child is Born." The musical ensembles at Rosary High School are directed by Tom Jesse. Admission is free. For details, visit rosaryhs.com.
Christmas Splendor: The Elgin Choral Union will present "Christmas Splendor" at 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, at Elgin Community College's Blizzard Theatre, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Join the Elgin Choral Union and guest ensemble Gaudete Brass in performances of Christmas music. Tickets are $23 for adults, $18 for seniors, $15 for students and groups of 10 or more and $5 for children under 10 with adult admission purchase online. Tickets are available at (847) 622-0300 or visit elgin.edu.
The Living Light: "The Living Light," a dramatic Christmas musical, will be staged at 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, at Fourth Street United Methodist Church, 551 S. Fourth St. in Aurora. The public is invited. Admission is free. A freewill offering will be accepted. Ten speaking actors and other silent actors, accompanied by handbell and vocal choirs, will present the Christmas story through the eyes of those who witnessed or participated in the first Christmas in Bethlehem. Speaking actors, ranging from Mary and Joseph to members of the innkeeper's family, will give brief monologues. Each character offers their personal perspective on the unusual events surrounding them. Author and composer Ruth Schram provides texts and melodies, and includes congregational participation. For more information, call (630) 897-5257.