PO Box 601 Village Green Bedford, NY 10506 www.charisvocals.com

For Immediate Release November, 2002

Contact: Betsy Turner 914-271-0713 wellhost.com/contact.html?to=charispress

CELEBRATE "CHRISTMAS WITH CHARIS"

Charis Chamber Voices, the acclaimed Westchester-based ensemble led by Susanne Peck, announces two performances of a concert featuring contemporary settings of traditional Christmas poems to celebrate the season. A highlight of the concerts will be selections from Benjamin Britten's beloved "Ceremony of Carols." "The heavenly sound of women's voices accompanied by harp shimmers in these twentieth-century compositions using medieval texts," says Ms. Peck.

Among the beautiful new choral works will be ancient Latin hymns set to music by young New York composers. James Bassi's "Quem pastores laudavere" gives the old poem about the Nativity a Romantic melody with beautiful harmonies for the a cappella choir of men's and women's voices, while Nancy Wertsch uses a harp and a balance of dissonance and consonance to describe the manger scene in "O Magnum Mysterium."

The varied repertory also includes "The Holly She Bears a Berry," arranged by James E. Clemens, a song that retains its flavor as an old English carol, and Johannes Somary's jazzy adaptation using surprising chords with the familiar melody of "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence." On the other hand, Julie Dolphin's "Christmas Peace" is clearly contemporary, yet its modern harmonies and repetition create a soothing lullaby. "Charis has a special affinity for the intricacies of good new compositions which evoke ancient music and include a palette of contemporary harmonic colors, interesting and satisfying to the ear," says Ms. Peck.

Dennis Keene of New York's famed Voices of Ascension has praised Charis's blend, virtuosity and clarity. Michael Jaffee of the Waverly Consort calls Ms. Peck "an outstanding singer and gifted conductor." A resident of Lake Katonah, she is on the faculty of the Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale and enjoys a career as a professional soloist. She maintains a private teaching practice in Westchester.

The concerts are Saturday, Dec. 14, 8 PM, at South Presbyterian Church, 345 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, and Sunday, Dec. 15, 4 PM, at Bedford Presbyterian Church, on the Green, Bedford Village. Tickets are $15 in advance ($12 students/seniors) and $18 at the door ($15 students/seniors). To order tickets, call 914-931-6575. For more information on Charis, visit their website, www.charisvocals.com.