LIHUE — “A Classical Christmas” presented by Chamber Music Kauai will unfold on Friday and Saturday at Saint Michael and All Angels Church.
Both performances start at 7 p.m., preceded with a 6:30 p.m. lecture on the various pieces presented by CMK cellist Karen Hall.
Tickets for the Friday concert are available online at www.venuepilot.co/events/a-classical-christmas-chamber-m-568712/orders/new. Tickets for the Saturday performance are available online at www.venuepilot.co/events/a-classical-christmas-chamber-m-98e678/orders/new.
“The acoustics of St. Michaels and All Angels Church lend themselves perfectly to the type of music that will be performed at these concerts,” said CMK Director Greg Shepherd. “Additionally, it’s a much more intimate setting for a program centered on Christmas music.”
The program will feature a wide variety of classical music ranging from the traditional “O Little Town of Bethlehem” to lesser-known pieces like “Eternal Source of Light,” by G.F. Handel of “Messiah” fame.
The CMK Orchestra and Chorus will be featured at the concert as well as solo performances by pianist Monica Chung, operatic tenor Thomas Michael Allen, sopranos Elizabeth Kreitzer, Cindy Labrador and Kim Sueoka, oboist Victor Girotto, violinist Kaycee Milne, and dramatic reader Boon Koh.
Shepherd, a music professor at the Kauai Community College, started Chamber Music Kauai in 2016.
“I wanted to offer the island community the opportunity to enjoy live performances of pieces from the vast repertoire of masterpieces of Western classical music,” Shepherd said. “Chamber Music Kauai is the only ensemble on Kauai dedicated solely to classical music.”
Audiences may remember “Siddharta. Seeker of Truth” from 2023 that was a full-length musical with script and musical score written in its entirety by Shepherd.
One of his original choral compositions will be part of this weekend’s Christmas program.
For more information, contact Shepherd by email at shep@hawaii.edu, or call 808-482-1455.
