St. Charles Singers and Kontras Quartet to illuminate ‘Candlelight Carols’ Dec. 4-6

The St. Charles Singers, led by founder and music director Jeffrey Hunt, will welcome acclaimed string ensemble Kontras Quartet as first-time guest artists for the 42nd annual edition of the choir’s “Candlelight Carols” concerts on Dec. 4-6.

All performances will be at the choir’s home venue, Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, 307 Cedar Ave. in St. Charles. “Candlelight Carols” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6.

The holiday program will offer seasonal songs for choir and string quartet, string quartet works, and a cappella carols. “A string quartet adds a special dimension to a choir’s sound, and we’re eager for audiences to experience it,” Hunt said.

Hunt hails the Chicago-based Kontras Quartet as “an exceptionally talented ensemble.” Its cellist, Jean Hatmaker, has previously performed with the St. Charles Singers.

‘Creative collaboration’

The mixed-voice chamber choir and string quartet will perform together in three works, all in the first half of the program, titled “Contemplation.”

“Music for choir and string quartet is a rare breed,” Hunt said. “Putting this program together was a true creative collaboration between ensembles.”

J.S. Bach’s “O Little One Sweet” will be heard in an unusual format: Each member of the string quartet will play as a member of a choir section. The first and second violins will perform the same music as the sopranos and altos, the viola will play the tenor part, the cello the bass part.

“We’re all literally on the same page,” Hunt said. “This isn’t something you’d undertake with just any string quartet.”

Also for choir and strings is Ola Gjeilo’s “Sacred Heart” (Ubi Caritas III), whose opening words, in Latin, mean “Where charity and love are, God is there.” Though it’s not a Christmas work, Hunt says, “Its spirituality and reflective mood fit perfectly into the program’s first half.”

Gjeilo, a contemporary Norwegian composer, is renowned for his lush, cinematic choral music that evokes Scandinavian landscapes.

In “Sacred Heart,” the string players embellish the choral setting rather than echo the choir’s voices, Hunt said.

Receiving its world premiere is Nathaniel Adams’ “Lux Brumalis” (“Wintry Light”) in the composer’s new arrangement for choir and strings. It was commissioned by the St. Charles Singers, as was the original version for voices and piano.

Each movement begins with a string interlude that sets the atmosphere for the singers.

Also on the program's first half are two a cappella choral works: Kenneth Leighton's richly harmonic “Lully, Lulla, Thou Little Tiny Child” and Morten Lauridsen's melodic and colorful “O Magnum Mysterium,” evoking the mystery of the Nativity, plus a set of string quartet compositions.

The Kontras Quartet will play cellist Hatmaker’s own arrangement of the American Christmas carol and folk hymn “I Wonder as I Wander,” written in 1933 by American folklorist and composer John Jacob Niles.

They’ll also favor listeners with the famous “Andante cantabile” movement from Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11. Based on a Ukrainian folk song, the quartet’s sentimental and romantic second movement became an instant hit for the composer and remains one of the best-loved pieces of string quartet music.

In addition to Hatmaker, Kontras Quartet members include violinists Olya Prohorova and Sherri Zhang and violist Ben Weber.

The “Celebration”-themed second half includes Gjeilo's fresh reimagining of the traditional English carol “The Holly and the Ivy”; John McCarthy’s rhythmic, joyous arrangement of “The Little Drummer Boy”; and Alice Parker and Robert Shaw’s arrangement of “Masters in This Hall,” a brisk work with soaring soprano and baritone solos, and the duo’s buoyant, lighthearted “I Saw Three Ships,” where voices simulate the sounds of holiday chimes.

Also: Ben Parry's virtuosic, jazz-infused arrangement of “Jingle Bells,” originally written for the Swingle Singers; Carolyn Jennings’ brisk, festive arrangement of “O Yule, Full of Gladness”; Jean Alain’s joyful version of the French Renaissance carol “Noël nouvelet”; Michael Head’s sensitive and serene “The Little Road to Bethlehem”; and David Willcocks’ energetic arrangement of “Deck the Hall.”

For their traditional Candlelight Carols finale, the St. Charles Singers will assemble around three sides of the sanctuary for a surround-sound rendition of “Silent Night,” arranged by Willcocks and local choral director, composer, and educator Robert Boyd of Westmont, Illinois.

Single-admission tickets are $60, $50 for seniors, and $12 for students. Group discounts are available.

Tickets and information are available at stcharlessingers.com. Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the day of the concert, depending on availability.

Candlelight choristers

St. Charles Singers sopranos to be heard in Candlelight Carols include: Michelle Areyzaga of Arlington Heights; Kristen Murray and Karen Rockett, Batavia; Ingrid Burrichter, Chicago; Laura Johnson, Hanover Park; Kelly Johnson, Hoffman Estates; Meredith Taylor Mollica, Naperville; CeCe Glass, Prospect Heights; Cynthia Spiegel, St. Charles; and Marybeth Kurnat, Wheaton.

Alto voices are: Christina Collins, Arlington Heights; Valerie Bollero, Batavia; Amy Bearden and Chloe Hayes, Chicago; Jessica Heinrich, Elburn; Monica Bertrand, Geneva; Rachel Miller, Naperville; Evelyn Chan, Sterling; Debra Wilder, Vernon Hills; and Karen Archbold, Wheaton.

Tenors are: Marcus Jansen, Batavia; Rob Campbell, DeKalb; Bradley Staker, Elburn; Nicholas Metzger, Elgin; Gregor King, North Aurora; Paul Kline, Warrenville; David Hunt, Wayne; and Steve Williamson, West Chicago.

Bass singers are: Brandon Fox, Batavia; Antonio Quaranta, Berwyn; Jess Koehn, Downers Grove; David Hartley, Hanover Park; Brandon Sefranek, Montgomery; Michael Popplewell, North Aurora; Aaron James, St. Charles; Andrew Toniolo, Warrenville; and Darynn Carter, Willowbrook.

Founded and directed by Jeffrey Hunt, the St. Charles Singers is a chamber choir dedicated to choral music in all its forms. Among the St. Charles Singers’ prominent guest conductors have been renowned English composer Sir John Rutter, founder of the Cambridge Singers; Philip Moore, composer and former music director at England’s York Minster cathedral; and Grammy Award-winning American choir director Craig Hella Johnson. The choir launched in St. Charles, Illinois, in 1984 as the Mostly Madrigal Singers.

New album

The St. Charles Singers’ newest album, “Dancing Tree: Choral Landscapes,” was released Aug. 21, 2026, on Navona Records. The title work, Rutter’s “Dancing Tree,” was written for the St. Charles Singers and is heard in its world-premiere performance. The album was recently featured on Iowa Public Radio’s “Choral Tradition” program, whose host, Curt Snook, hailed the St. Charles Singers as “a really remarkable organization.”

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.