Palestine Magazine Holiday Edition 2022 | Page 13

HOLIDAY EDITION 2022 | PALESTINE MAGAZINE | 13
FEATURE | CHRISTMAS COMMUNITY CHOIR

Anderson County Community Chorus celebrates 20 years

COURTESY PHOTO
Leslie Hooe singing a solo during a previous concert performance .
Lisa Tang

Anderson County Community Chorus & Orchestra celebrates two decades in December with a 20th Anniversary Christmas Concert this year . These free community concerts have shared Christian messages of forgiveness and hope and with thousands of audience members over the years .

The community chorus began in 2003 and continued for 19 consecutive years with an interlude between the December 2019 Christmas cantata and the 2022 Easter cantata due to the COVID-19 pandemic . For Easter , the community chorus returned to Southside Baptist Church on Palm Sunday with a performance titled “ A Time for Alleluia .”
Each of the ACCC cantatas feature from 70 to 80 singers and soloists , including members of churches from around Anderson County . Instrumentalists include piano , strings , brass and woodwinds . The Christmas cantata has performed almost every year , while the Easter cantata and some July 4 productions have also been performed on various occasions .
ACCC founder and director Rhonda Herrington said the music has become more challenging over the years .
“ There is so much beautiful Christmas music that we wanted to include , that the concert now includes Christmas choral music that reaches from centuries back to the most recent Christmas sounds ,” Herrington said . “ The group continues to grow in quality and artistry with every performance .”
Rehearsals began in late August 2022 for the December production titled “ The Sounds of Christmas .” The traditional performance , set for 2 p . m . Sunday , Dec . 4 , includes 12 to 14 musical pieces representing a range of music , from Handel ’ s “ Hallelujah Chorus ” to traditional hymns such as “ Silent Night ” and “ Hark the Herald ,” to contemporary pieces such as “ Mary Did You Know ” and “ Jingle Bells .”
“ The Sounds of Christmas ” features a handbell choir , dancers and instrumentals on violin , viola , cello , oboe , flute , clarinet , French horn , trumpet , trombone , tuba tympani and percussion .
“ The concert will include spectacular opening and closing numbers which will include not only the orchestra and choir , but will include area dancers ,” Herrington said .
All participants are volunteers and ACCC functions as a nonprofit organization , so donations for the purchase of sheet music and other costs are welcome .
Donations can be mailed to The Anderson County Community Chorus and Orchestra , 616 S . Sycamore St ., Palestine , Texas 75801 .
HOLIDAY EDITION 2022 | PALESTINE MAGAZINE | 13