A festive treat at the Basilica

MUSIC at the Basilica’s annual Christmas concert will make its return next week, bringing together some of the finest vocalists and instrumentalists the region has to offer.

This year’s concert will take place on Sunday, December 15 between 5pm and 6.30pm at the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels on Yarra Street.

The performance will combine the talents of the Windfire Choir, an experienced group of vocalists from across the region, and the highly regarded Vox Angelica Geelong Chamber Choir, with awe-inspiring soloists and an 18-piece orchestra.

The concert, led by well-known organist, conductor and vocalist Tom Healey, will feature the performance of two major and dramatic works, 20th century composer Gerald Finzi’s In Terra Pax (Christmas Scene) and John Rutter’s Magnificat, an extended composition in seven movements for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra.

“We’d just like people to come in and enjoy the beautiful music that we have to offer and to enjoy the talents of the people in our region,” Music at the Basilica secretary Jane Bashiruddin said.

“This music is magnificent, it’s very tuneful…We’re hoping that people go home feeling uplifted.

“Those who know the work of John Rutter will know that he can really write a really, really good tune that stays in your head.

“Beautiful orchestration with strings and percussion – it’s a really lovely piece of music.

“We also hope that they’ll have heard something new in Gerald Finzi’s In Terra Pax.

“It’s not a work that’s performed very often, but it’s a very beautiful work.”

The singers aged between 10 and 18 who comprise the Geelong Youth Choir’s advanced performance group, known as the Cantore Choir, will join the Windfire Choir during the concert.

Soprano Phillipa McQuinn – known for her impressive CV of performances with famous choirs in Australia and abroad – is among the soloists slated to perform this year, as is the accomplished Emily Swanson, and baritone and Windfire Choir conductor Joseph Hie.

Music at the Basilica is also hosting a series of free lunchtime organ recitals through December, with everyone welcome to attend the three performances that remain for the year.

Each recital will be held on a Monday afternoon at the Basilica between 12.30pm and 1.15pm, with Rhys Arvidson on December 16 and Frank De Rosso on December 23.

“We thought we’d give people a chance to come in and chill out because everything gets so hectic at Christmas and the weather gets hot,” Ms Bashiruddin said.

“You can stay for as long as you like – stay for the whole thing or just stay for part of it.

“We just hope that [the community will] enjoy some good music in those acoustics.”

For more information, head to musicatthebasilica.org.au, or to purchase tickets, visit trybooking.com/CQYBA