The warmth of brass and a pinch of sass.
A cheeky “Super Gay Christmas” and a down-and-dirty “Let It Snow.”
All that can only mean one thing.
Yep, the Seattle Men’s Chorus is coming to town.
A Sassy Brassy Holiday Concert is Dec. 16 at Historic Everett Theatre.
It’s usually the only occasion each year that the world-renowned choir performs in Snohomish County.
The bad news: The show is so popular that tickets available are single seat only.
The good news: It will be fun, even if you don’t know the person next to you.
The other good news: There are tickets available for the five upcoming sassy concerts at Benaroya Hall.
“Seattle’s not that far away,” said chorus member Neil Hoyt of Everett.
Hoyt, 57, an information technology consultant, joined the Seattle Men’s Chorus in 2001 when he moved here from Phoenix. He sings in choruses wherever he lives, including in the Salt Lake Men’s Choir for eight years.
“It’s a habit,” Hoyt said. “I’ve always been a musician, both instrumental and vocal. It’s a whole bunch easier to feed my musical addiction in a vocal group than it is to try to keep up a lip for clarinet. That takes more time and equipment.”
There are about 350 singing members in the Seattle Men’s Chorus and about 250 in the Seattle Women’s Chorus. In addition to the main choruses, there are two small ensembles, Captain Smartypants and Sensible Shoes.
About 300 singers will be on stage at the men’s holiday concert in Everett.
How do they all fit on stage?
“Very carefully,” Hoyt said.
Hoyt said the holiday concerts have something for everyone.
“There will be some serious classical music, a good dose of traditional holiday tunes, and there will be a nice dash of silliness,” he said. “I adore the serious classical music. There will be some pieces that are utterly beautiful sounds; the kind where you just sit there and go, ‘Awww.’
“One of the things I most enjoy about singing with the Seattle Men’s Chorus is the sense of community. All those people working together in harmony to create something beautiful.”
Something else beautiful happened on stage in Seattle.
After being together more than two decades, Hoyt and his now-husband, Donald Jenny, were married at the holiday concert at Benaroya Hall five years ago to celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage in Washington, one of the first states to do so by popular vote.
They represented the men’s chorus and a female couple represented the women’s chorus at the ceremony.
“How many people have a wedding where they get to invite 3,000 of their closest friends and have a 500-voice choir singing in the background?”
Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
Seattle Men’s Chorus: A Sassy Brassy Holiday Concert
Everett shows are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16, Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave. Benaroya Hall shows are 8 p.m. Dec. 17; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21; and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 23. The hall is at 200 University St., Seattle. Find ticket information at www.seattlechoruses.org.
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