98th A Cappella Vespers To Perform Dec. 11, 8 | News, Sports, Jobs

The Jamestown High School A Cappella Choir, pictured during a Dec. 5 performance, will hold its 98th annual A Cappella Vespers on Sunday, Dec. 11, and Sunday, Dec. 18, at 4 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, 120 Chandler St.
Submitted photo

The Jamestown High School A Cappella Choir will hold its 98th annual A Cappella Vespers on Sunday, Dec. 11, and Sunday, Dec. 18, at 4 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, 120 Chandler St.

Admission is free and a good-will offering will be taken.

“This will be the first A Cappella Vespers performance since 2019 to welcome back a full audience in the beautiful First Lutheran Church,” said Lauren Scharf, choir director. “We have been working diligently over the past few months in preparation for this performance and are so excited to share our music with the community again.”

The 68-voice A Cappella Choir features smaller ensembles, including the Madrigal Singers, Men of Tomorrow and Ladies of Today. The choir will be accompanied on the piano by Julie Livengood and on the organ by Brian A. Bogey, the choir’s director emeritus. The Madrigal Singers are also scheduled to perform at a number of holiday events across the Jamestown community.

Established by the ensemble’s founder, Ebba Goranson, in 1924, the Vespers are sacred music concerts performed each December at First Lutheran Church, featuring excerpts from major choral works and seasonal songs and carols to help provide a bit of cheer during the holiday season.

Choral music education has enjoyed a long, rich tradition at Jamestown High School. Goranson directed the choir from 1924 until her passing in 1957. Donald B. Bube served as choral director from 1958-1981. Bogey became the first alumnus of the choir to hold the director’s position in 1982 and, since his retirement in 2003, he continues to support the efforts of the A Cappella through friendship, counsel, and as organist. From 2004 to 2019, Norman Lydell served as director and continues to provide counsel to and support to the choir in many ways.

Through its travels across the country and globe, the choir is known as the “Choir of Cathedrals.” Venues have included, among many others, the National Shrine Basilica and National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C; New York City’s famed Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, and Saint John the Divine Cathedral; Boston’s Old North Church, St. Michael’s R.C. Cathedral in Toronto, Canada; and St. Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna, (home of the Vienna Boys Choir).

The choir also has participated in several master classes at prestigious universities and has performed at a number of professional sporting events and historical sites. In December of 2009, the Madrigal Singers performed with recording artist Kenny Rogers and in December of 2015, the choir performed with acclaimed performing artist Jim Brickman. The choir has also performed at Walt Disney World twice: at Disney Springs in 2014 and in EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional, narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin, in 2019.