The United Methodist Church of Sun City Center, located at 1210 W. Del Webb Blvd., has three exciting performances to get into the Christmas mood this month.
The annual Sights and Sounds of Christmas, an exciting evening of music and drama created by the church’s talented and multigenerational ministries will take place on Wednesday, December 15 starting at 6 p.m.
The church also welcomes the community to experience the annual Christmas Cantata Saturday, December 11 and Sunday, December 12. This year’s cantata, entitled, Have You Heard? is a distinctly Celtic work. Written by Joel Raney, a composer and arranger of Scottish heritage, it is a fresh retelling of the Christmas story.
Directed by Jeff Jordan and narrated by Peg Goodenow, this year’s cantata utilizes well-known, traditional Celtic and Welch folk songs and tunes such as “O Danny Boy (Londonderry Air),” “Loch Lomond” and “The Wexford Carol” and weaves them into and around familiar Christmas carols like “Away in a Manger,” “O Holy Night,” “Gentle Mary Paid Her Child,” “O Come All Ye Faithful” and many others. A small, instrumental ensemble will accompany the church’s Chancel Choir, and some local community singers were invited to join the group for this special cantata.
It will be presented at the 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday morning worship services on December 12, and at 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 11 in order to allow those in the community who normally attend other churches to experience this year’s presentation.
On Sunday, December 19, the church welcomes Toast of Tampa and Heralds of Harmony, Tampa’s own internationally acclaimed barbershop choruses for a 3 p.m. concert.
Under the direction of Tony De Rosa, Tampa’s a cappella Toast of Tampa Chorus has reached new heights. They have been wowing audiences worldwide for 35 years with their lush, four-part barbershop harmonies. The Heralds of Harmony, the men’s barbershop chorus, has been around for 75 years.
Advance tickets for the concert are available for $15 at the church office, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Tickets are also available online by logging onto the church’s website, www.sccumc.com and following the prompts under ‘Events’ and this concert.
For additional information about this and other concerts and recitals at the United Church of Sun City Center, please contact Kevin Goodenow, concert series coordinator, at 362-0956. To learn more about the United Methodist Church of Sun City center, visit www.sccumc.com.
