St. Luke's United Methodist Church to host "Sounds of the Season" Christmas concert

Bradley Roberts, show director for St. Luke’s United Methodist Church’s “Sounds of the Season,” recalled joining the church’s choir when he became a member of the church in 2010. 

He said there were about 60 singers participating in the Christmas concert. 

Since then, the show and the choir only have become bigger. 

More than 100 people, who are community members and members of the church, are coming together to bring the festive songs of the holidays to life during the church’s “Sounds of the Season” concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14 and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15. Tickets are limited for the Saturday, Dec. 14, show.

Roberts said the “coolest thing” about the growth of the Community Choir is seeing people from outside the church participating in the choir. 

“At St. Luke’s, we believe in making sure we are shining light outside our walls — not just in our walls — so we really wanted to welcome the community to be a part of things here, not just observe things here,” he said. “It’s been a great community-building effort where people are getting to know St. Luke’s, and we’re also getting to know our community so we can better serve them.”

“Sounds of the Season” will bring people on a journey through the sights and sounds of the holidays, including all the bells and whistles. 

New to the concert this year is a Community Youth Choir, which consists of about 25 children in first through eighth grades. Roberts, along with other church staff members, reached out to local middle school choral groups to recruit singers. 

“The more arts and arts education our kids in our community can get, the better well-rounded human beings they wind up being,” Roberts said. “If we can offer them a place where they get to sing with a live orchestra, with lights and sound and all that stuff above and beyond anything they get to do anywhere else in their life, I’m hoping we’re providing them something that will be a memory they won’t soon forget.”

Howard Clifton

Roberts hopes the performances will encourage more children to join the Community Youth Choir for future “Sounds of the Season.” 

On top of the choirs, “Sounds of the Season” also will include a 17-member dance ensemble and a full live orchestra. The orchestra is a combination of both paid musicians and volunteers. 

As the show director, Roberts said he has the best seat in the house, because he’s the first member of the audience. 

“It is nothing short of thrilling to hear people and see their faces light up as they’re singing these songs in such a joyful way,” he said. “It’s very moving. I was talking with the choir at our final rehearsal before we head into tech week and just letting them know what a privilege and an honor it is for me to be that person that’s standing in front of them getting to hear them for the first time. I’m really excited for the community to hear it, too.”

One of the big moments of the show, which Roberts describes as the “11th-hour number that hits things home,” will be the performance of “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”

“It just really hit me that in the world that we live in, when people can feel awfully divided and things can seem really tough even around the holidays, all we’re really longing for is peace,” he said. “It’s not the ‘Let There Be Peace’ that everybody’s always heard. It’s a different arrangement completely, but the words and the message of peace, hope and joy that we get to be a part of spreading as some light in the world is really what I’m looking forward to.”

The arrangement of “Let There be Peace on Earth” won’t be the only surprise in the show.

Roberts said there will be some classic holiday songs that are being “turned on their head,” such as a version of “12 Days of Christmas” that can’t be missed.

“There’s something to be said for people being surprised and delighted,” he said. “There will be some sense of nostalgia with some typical Christmas carols, like ‘Silent Night,’ but other ones, especially ‘Carol of the Bells,’ that you’ve heard that melody a billion times, you would not have heard it quite like this.”

Although the Community Choir and Community Youth Choir will be singing, Roberts said the audience also will have a chance to sing along as well. At the end of the concert, there will be some of the most known Christmas carols for everyone to sing along. 

Roberts hopes people leaving the show will have thoughts of kindness, community and love. 

“I’m super excited about trying to share a little bit of light as much as we possibly can,” he said.