Tree of Life Holiday Choir Concert to brighten the season

The adult choir of the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation will present its annual Holiday Concert at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, at the church, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry.

This year's concert, "Poetry, Quotes and Song," will feature sacred and secular music, along with seasonal poems and quotations. The choir will be accompanied by an 11-piece orchestra.

The choir of more than 25 voices including several soloists will perform songs which will range from the sacred and traditional to popular seasonal classics, the light hearted comedy, to an original composition by musical director Thomas Steffens. One of the largest church choirs in McHenry County, the Tree of Life ensemble is noted for its talent, tightness, and breadth of repertoire.

There is no charge for admission. A free will offering will be taken.

The collection will go toward scholarships for choir members in need of financial assistance for a June 2016 pilgrimage to Transylvania, the Hungarian speaking Romanian province that is home to the oldest Unitarian churches in the world. The choir will sing at 400-year-old churches and members will learn from the rich heritage of a religious community that survived persecution by the Counter Reformation, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Nazis, and Communists.

In addition to support from the congregation, the choir has received a $3,000 grant from the Unitarian Universalist Funding Program plus an additional $3,000 dollar-for-dollar matching grant which the choir hopes to raise at the concert.

A reception will follow the performance.

This project is funded in part by the Fund for Unitarian Universalism.

For more information, call the church office at (815) 322-2464, e-mail office@treeoflifeuu.org, or visit treeoflifeuu.org.