Catch the Christmas spirit with a free sing-along in Everett
Published 1:30 am Thursday, December 20, 2018
Sometimes it’s nice just to hit pause from the busyness, crowds and traffic of the holiday season.
You’ll get that chance during a free holiday sing-along Sunday in Everett.
The singing will be led by Lee Mathews, who was the long-time director of the Everett Chorale. Mathews stepped down in June after 25 years.
The program will begin with well-known Christmas carols, such as “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Deck the Halls,” “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World.”
“The challenging one in the first half is the sing-along version of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus,’” Mathews said. But people will recognize the melody and be able to join in, he said.
Well-known holiday music will continue in the program’s second half, including “White Christmas,” “Silver Bells” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”
The program also includes a solo performance of “Gloria a Dio,” by Harbour Pointe Middle School student Ashley Morrison. The song’s story is that of a young child who has no material gifts to share, and so says “all I can bring to my Jesus is my heart,” Mathews said.
Other soloists include Diana Lawrence, a retired Granite Falls music teacher, who will sing lead in verses to “White Christmas,” and local tenor Marion Trigg, who will perform “O Holy Night.”
Musicians include Gary Norris, organist at Everett’s First Presbyterian Church, and pianist Karen Mathews, Lee Mathews’ wife, who first began accompanying church choirs when she was 12 years old.
Those coming to the concert are asked to bring canned goods which will be donated to the Volunteers of America food bank in Everett.
Sunday’s event is part of a series of concerts organized by the Port Gardner Bay Music Society, which is led by Lee Mathews.
Three more events are scheduled this season: “How Can I Keep From Singing,” a performance by the Common Ground quintet at 3 pm. Jan. 27; “Music for Romance,” by the Circle of Flutes Ensemble at 3 p.m. Feb. 24; and “Musical Frills and Flourishes,” a violin and harpsichord duo at 3 p.m. March 24.
All three performances will be at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 215 Mukilteo Blvd., Everett.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
If you go
What: Port Gardner Bay Music Society’s “Holiday Sing-Along”
When: 3 p.m. Dec. 23
Where: Everett First Presbyterian Church, 2936 Rockefeller Ave., Everett
Admission: Free
More: www.pgbmusicsociety.com
