And on Earth, Peace.

The annual holiday concert of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus has long been considered a hallmark of the season and a “top pick” of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As part of the AGMC’s 32nd season presented by producing sponsor Atlanta Magazine, for three performances on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7-8 the respected men’s chorus will be joined by special guest Megan Mashburn, soprano, in a truly entertaining musical celebration for all ages.

As it has since the late 1990s, the AGMC holiday concert — this year titled “And on Earth, Peace” — will be presented in The Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road NW in Atlanta’s Buckhead community. The South’s largest Episcopal cathedral, the church continues to be the perfect venue for this moving and joyous holiday celebration.

“The Cathedral itself must be considered one of the recurring ‘guest stars’ of our December holiday concert,” said Kevin Robison, now in his sixth year as the AGMC’s artistic director. “Its reverent beauty and ringing acoustics greatly add to the experience for both our audiences and the chorus itself. We feel extremely privileged to be invited back year after year.”

Celebrating Joy, Peace on Earth to All

The concert will feature a number of special arrangements of familiar holiday tunes, from a gospel version of “O Holy Night” to a lively “Deck the Hall,” the Spanish carol “A la nanita nana,” the wistful “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” and the famous 1977 “Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth” duet of two generations of musical superstars, Bing Crosby and David Bowie. (See the video on YouTube.)

Among the many other unique pieces to be performed are an arrangement celebrating the music of Hanukkah, performed by Panache, the chorus’ select ensemble; the haunting beautiful poem “Evergreen” set to music by Daniel Pinkham, featuring a shimmering soundtrack created by the celebrated composer during a brief period of experimentation with electronic music; a stunning “Lux Aurumque;” and a dynamic, rhythmic “Variations on Jingle Bells.”

The concert closes with a new setting of “Joy to the World” by Robison with additional lyrics that perfectly fit the concert’s focus on peace on Earth.

“It is always an appropriate time to sing about and celebrate the promise of joy to the world and goodwill to all persons,” Robison said. “But perhaps it’s especially important to sing these universal messages of hope during an election year, where the volume of the rhetoric can get in the way of reminding us all of what we most desire — peace.”

Special Guest Megan Mashburn

The AGMC is pleased to welcome soprano Megan Mashburn for “And on Earth, Peace.” Already compiling an impressive list of credentials, the vivacious and talented local performer is a member of the highly acclaimed Atlanta Opera Chorus and frequently represents The Atlanta Opera in community education and outreach activities.

Proclaimed by The Boston Globe as performing with “simplicity and charm” in her Boston Symphony Hall debut of Haydn’s “Creation,” recently she was the soloist in Brahms’ “Ein Deutsches Requiem” at Emory University, and soprano soloist in Clemson University’s presentation of Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass.”

The recipient of a Master of Arts in Vocal Performance from Boston University, Mashburn is staff soprano soloist at Morningside Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.

‘A Perfect Combination’ for a Joyous Family Event

“This concert brings together exceptional arrangements of classic holiday music and the beautiful sounds of our guest soprano and instrumentalists in the exquisite setting of The Cathedral of St. Philip. It’s a perfect combination to launch anyone’s holiday festivities, and is the AGMC’s annual ‘gift’ to the community,” Robison said. “This is probably our most family-friendly holiday concert yet, and we hope that families of all shapes and sizes will join us in this celebration.”

This season sponsored by:

Producing Sponsors
Presenting Sponsors
Principal Sponsors
	Peachtree Battle Chiropractic
Sustaining Sponsors
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