Celebration of Christmas: Carol of Joy [CD] - BYU Combined Choirs and Orchestra

Each Christmas season at Brigham Young University over 500 vocalists and instrumentalists celebrate the season in song. Handpicked from the largest private student body in the country, these students comprise four nationally and internationally acclaimed choirs and the highly praised Philharmonic Orchestra.

These musical organizations are known for their unity, due in part to the superb technical proficiency achieved under the hands of choral conductors Ronald Staheli, Rosalind Hall, and Jean Applonie and Philharmonic conductor Kory Katseanes. But there is more. Students and conductors share a strong belief in the spiritual character of music. As one critic observed, “The spiritual element is present in each piece the choirs sing.” This results in performances that are alive, fresh, and heartfelt—performances that overcome boundaries and draw people together.

The music presented here was recorded during the live performances of the December 2014 Celebration of Christmas concerts.

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TRACKS

BYU Singers
1. Sing We Now of Christmas
French carol; arr. Fred Prentice

BYU Combined Choirs and Orchestra
2. Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful
John F. Wade; trans. Frederick Oakeley; arr. Dan Forrest

BYU Combined Choirs and Orchestra
3. Carol of Joy
Eileen Berry, Dan Forrest

BYU Singers
4. Dryads’ Bells
Stephen Chatman

BYU Combined Choirs
5. Angels We Have Heard on High
French carol; arr. Howard Helvey

BYU Concert Choir
6. Gesù Bambino
Pietro A. Yon

BYU Philharmonic Orchestra
7. Nutcracker Suite: Waltz of the Flowers
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

BYU Men's Chorus
8. Nowel / The First Noel
Randall Thompson / English carol; arr. Fenno Heath

BYU Concert Choir
9. Gaudete
Carol from Piae Cantiones; arr. Karl Jenkins

BYU BYU Philharmonic Orchestra
10. Nutcracker Suite: Russian Dance
Trepak, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

BYU Women's Chorus
11. The Wexford Carol
Traditional Irish carol; arr. Anne-Marie Hildebrandt

BYU Women's Chorus
12. Sussex Carol
Traditional English carol; arr. Clifton J. Noble Jr.

BYU Men's Chorus
13. The Goslings
F. E. Weatherly, J. Frederick Bridge; arr. Rosalind Hall

BYU Philharmonic Orchestra
14. Sleigh Ride
Leroy Anderson

BYU Singers
15. The Baby Softly Stills
Marvin K. Gardner, Vanja Y. Watkins

Videos

CREDITS

Producers: Ronald Staheli, Rosalind Hall, Jean Applonie, Kory Katseanes

Executive Producer: Ben Fales

Recording & Mixing Engineer: Jeff Carter

Editing & Mastering: Troy Sales

BYU Records is part of BYU Music Group, an enterprise center in the School of Music at Brigham Young University and part of the College of Fine Arts and Communications.