Nativity Parish, Fair Haven, will host the University of Notre Dame Chorale in a winter concert at 7 p.m. Jan. 10 in the church. The program will consist of rare Christmas songs, Celtic songs, and classical pieces from Liszt, Schumann, Stravinsky and Handel.
The chorale, a 48-voice mixed ensemble, is the official concert choir of the University of Notre Dame, Ind., and specializes in choral works from the Renaissance to the present. Its director, Alexander Blachly, has been active in early music as both performer and scholar for the past 45 years. Blachly, the 1992 recipient of the Noah Greenberg Award given by the American Musicological Society to encourage the study of historical performances, earned his post-graduate degrees in musicology from Columbia University, N.Y.
Father James Grogan, pastor of Nativity Parish, called the scheduling of the chorale’s performance “providential,” and noted a parish cantor, Claire Izzo, sang with the chorale during her undergraduate days. A strong Jersey Shore area alumni club supports the chorale and houses members during their U.S. tour.
“Our sanctuary lends itself to such a choir,” Father Grogan said, noting the presence of steps to form natural risers and promote acoustics. “This is quite an opportunity for us.”
No tickets are necessary, and a free-will offering accepted.
For more information on the concert, contact the parish office at 732-741-1714. Nativity Church is located at 180 Ridge Road, Fair Haven.