By Elizabeth Lenart | Contributor
St. Andrew Methodist Church hosts its annual Christmas Music Festival, a joyful celebration featuring favorite carols, choirs, full orchestra, and more, on Sunday, Dec. 10, at both 9:30 and 11 a.m., in the sanctuary, 5801 W. Plano Parkway. Before or after the festival, guests are invited to visit with Santa and his reindeer and pose for a photo in his sleigh – complete with falling snow.
CELEBRATE THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS AT ST. ANDREW METHODIST CHURCH’S
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS MUSIC FESTIVAL
Performed live for the first time will be five new Christmas carol arrangements by Taylor Davis, creative director of traditional music and worship, St. Andrew. The carols, including “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night, “and “O Come All Ye Faithful,” are newly released by the Decca Classics record label in A Choral Christmas, which also includes a five-movement centerpiece, “Magnificat,” also written by Davis and receiving its Carnegie Hall premiere in New York in May 2024.
Davis, who has been the choir director for nine years, is a highly acclaimed musician and composer, whose music has been performed worldwide. He first began working on the pieces in A Choral Christmas in September 2021, when England’s VOCES8 Artistic Director Barney Smith, a long-time friend and collaborator, asked him to arrange the carols for choir and orchestra for an upcoming holiday broadcast.
Over the years Davis has received commissions from a wide variety of groups, and his music has been performed throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and South Africa. In addition to VOCES8, his music has also been performed by the Grammy-winning group Conspirare.
The Decca Classics record label (Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Pavarotti, to name a few of their artists) wanted to create a Christmas album, and five of the six carols, plus Magnificat (previously recorded by VOCES8), would be the main tracks. The album was released November 3, 2023, and just recently received five stars from BBC Music Magazine.
“This is, without question, a high-water mark of my career,” said Davis.
A Choral Christmas also includes a five-movement centerpiece, “Magnificat,” also written by Davis and receiving its Carnegie Hall premiere in New York in May 2024. And, Davis is looking forward to his Sydney Opera House debut with VOCES8 next June.
“The music for this year’s festival captures the essence of Christmas and is designed to fill our souls with joy in celebration of the birth of our Savior,” said Davis. “This annual event is a glorious opportunity to come together, warm our hearts and give us each a beautiful time to reflect on the true meaning of the season. We hope you will ‘Carry the Light’ by bringing others to share in this uplifting and glorious morning.”
There is no cost for this event. For more information on this and other St. Andrew Christmas events, concerts, and worship, visit standrewmethodist.org/Christmas
St. Andrew Methodist Church, founded in 1986, is located on 21.2 acres in Plano, Texas, and has more than 7,000 members. For more information, visit www.standrewmethodist.org.