Salt Lake Children's Choir's performances will be historic ones

This weekend's Christmas concerts by the Salt Lake Children's Choir mark the 25th anniversary of the choir's first performance in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

"We're excited to be there again, and we feel fortunate to be part of the musical scene at the cathedral," said founder and director Ralph Woodward. "The appeal the cathedral has is in it being a lofty setting for the really great music that we need to focus on."

Woodward said the program this year will once again be true to the tradition the choir has established over the years. "We can't see us not doing early polyphonic music."

And as at past concerts, the program will open with several early pieces including music by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso. The choir will also sing the "Laudamus te" from Antonio Vivaldi's Gloria.

There will also be a number of original pieces by Woodward, including a new setting of the Ave Maria. "I shortened the text so that it just focuses on the annunciation," Woodward said. "It's been popular with the kids."

And the concert wouldn't be complete without several perennial favorites. "We're doing, of course, 'Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming,' which has been a part of these concerts for 30 years," Woodward said. And there will also be a few other European carols, including the French "Il Est Ne."

Selections from Benjamin Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols" and music and arrangements by American composers such as Robert Leaf and Stephen Paulus will also be featured.

The concert will conclude with an audience sing-along.

Organist Ken Udy and harpist Lisa Rytting will again accompany the choir.

"There is something implicit in children's voices and the harp," Woodward said. "We always talk about how angelic it sounds when children sing, and we associate angels with harps. I hope we can capture the meaning and spirit with our music."

Aside from preparing for its concerts, the choir also is involved in other musical projects, Woodward said. Members of the choir can be heard on the Bach-Gounod arrangement of Ave Maria on David Archuleta's new Christmas album, "Christmas From the Heart."

This is the Salt Lake Children's Choir 30th anniversary season. To celebrate the occasion, the spring concert on May 15, 2010, will be held in Abravanel Hall. Details of that concert are still pending.

Reflecting back on the past three decades, Woodward said it's difficult to comprehend that it's been so long since he started the choir.

"It's been a great time, and the kids continually remind me of what I need to remember about these great works we sing."

KBYU-FM 89.1 will broadcast the previous year's Christmas concerts. The first broadcast will be on Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. with a repeat broadcast on Christmas Eve at 3 p.m.

If you go…

What: Salt Lake Children's Choir, Ralph Woodward, director

Where: Cathedral of the Madeleine

When: Dec. 5-6, 8 p.m.

How much: Free (no children under 6)

Web: childrensing.com

e-mail: ereichel@desnews.com