Christmas with Capital City Chorus
Originally published on The JOLT News on December 12, 2025
I still remember the first time I went to a Capital City Chorus (CCC) concert.
During Christmas of 2022, which was particularly challenging because it was my senior year of college, I was just diagnosed with cancer, and we were dealing with the additional stress of attempting to be good bridesmaids for a friend’s wedding.
Our hearts were heavy, and Christmas was the medicine we all needed. My sister and I decided to attend the concert as our sister date. The high quality music gave us goosebumps, and the heart of the music shone through and made our spirits bright and filled with hope. Ever since, I have made a point of attending CCC’s concerts whenever my schedule allows.
Christmas has that ability to rejuvenate us when we need it most. Many people think of Christmas as extra work, but I invite you to set down the yuletide chores and allow the chorus to fill your hearts, shine a light into your world, and give you the gift of beautiful music and peace. Oh, and did I mention that all of their concerts are free?
Our beloved Capital City Chorus is back on stage this weekend for their free 7th annual Christmas Concert series. Showtimes are as follows, each held at the Capital High School Performing Arts Center:
Friday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 13 at 2:30 p.m. matinee
Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2:30 p.m. matinee
The program
Each year, the chorus performs pieces that are nuanced, fun and refreshing, and this year is no exception. Chatting with Founder, Artistic Director, and Mixed Chorus Director Dan Colgan, I got to learn about some of these very pieces. Here is a sneak peak of this year’s program.
The classic carol, “O Come Emmanuel" will be taken on a rhythmically exciting journey.
There will be a handful of what are considered “folk carols,” such as “I Wonder As I Wander.”
The chorus will be singing a piece by the Black American composer, Rosephanye Powell, titled, “The Word was God,” which brings in the Christmas story with the beginning of the book of John.
The classic carol “Silent Night” will be performed using an arrangement by Seattle composer Jacob Melker.
There will also be a gloria from a Puccini mass. Anyone who knows classical music will recognize that Puccini is typically known for opera compositions, and this gloria is written in that operatic style.
According to Colgan, “This piece was sort of a hidden gem for a while because the church hated it because it sounded like opera, and the opera people hated it because it was church music.” Colgan continued, “The whole Puccini mass was not accessible until either the late 1950s or 60s, and has only been performed a few times since. It’s not ‘mainstream,’ but that makes it a cool thing that we can offer our community.”
How grateful am I that worlds can coexist and come together now so that we can enjoy good music.
The chorus will be performing a brand new Frank Ticheli piece from 2025 titled, “Listen to the Silence,” which Colgan himself admits is an interesting oxymoron.
“After we sing the Ticheli piece, we will be singing 'Silent Night' … maybe there is something to listen to there," Colgan said.
Takeaways
Reflecting on the big picture of this concert and what it represents, Colgan shared, “I hope that the audience takes away that sense of community and (that this program with new songs, old traditions and innovative works) that this music is still alive and well.”
Adding to that, Colgan reflected, “I hope the audience takes away that sense that even though life might be challenging at times, there is still a lot of genuine good. There is still a desire within people to get along and remind ourselves that at the core, humanity is not as terrible as it looks like on the news. If people walk out feeling better about the community, the world, and feel encouraged seeing a friend or neighbor on stage, then I feel like we have done our job.”
That in a nutshell is the point of the arts, and the point of the holiday season. We all carry different burdens and heartaches on a daily basis, each trying to find a way to make the world a better place. Artists can make us feel better and give our hearts the fuel we need to keep going. The world may say that the arts is an elective, but I say it is a necessity to our society.
Go to this concert, see what I mean.
https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/christmas-with-capital-city-chorus,27364