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By George Krumbhaar, Choral Arts Chorus Member
Where can you find in one place: Santa, Rudolf, Frosty ... and the Grinch?
You can join these lovable holiday characters when they appear at the Choral Arts Society of Washington’s A Family Christmas concert at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria on Dec. 22 at 1 p.m.
Santa and Frosty show up to sing their namesake carols. With Rudolf, it takes a little prodding from the audience; he is rather shy, but does respond when the noise from the children in the hall gets loud enough. And the Grinch? There’s no telling what he will do, but he was last seen lurking around the stage, provoking shouts and cries from those in attendance.
You get the idea. This is a concert specially designed for families with children, where anything can happen but where the music is excellent, heartfelt, and fun. Past concerts have featured young audience members dancing onstage and getting to meet the holiday characters up close.
Choral Arts is acknowledged as one of the best choruses in the country and has been staging A Family Christmas annually at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since 2004 when it realized the need for a family-oriented celebration. The music is alternately reverent and jazzy, and the chorus is decked out with Christmas caps, scarves, and antlers. The orchestra, largely brass and percussion, lends a festive air to the occasion. This is a popular concert with families who like its informality and joyful atmosphere.
The chorus’ regular season concerts take place in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and has performed in venues around the globe, including Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
This year’s performance of A Family Christmas at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center is the first at that venue. A second performance will take place at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Monday, Dec. 24, 2018 at 11 a.m.
This is a perfect occasion to take time out from the holiday rush and to keep the kids, if not quiet, at least enthralled for an hour.
RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes, no intermission.
A Family Christmas, Dec. 22, 2018, 1 p.m. at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, 4915 East Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311.
For tickets, call the Choral Arts Box Office at 202.2443669. Click here for online purchases.
