In a program featuring “Frostiana” by American composer Randall Thompson, the Onion River Chorus will be presenting their winter concerts on Dec. 21st and 22nd. There will be a reception following the Sunday concert, with proceeds to benefit the Montpelier Food Pantry. Onion River Chorus is happy to offer special admission pricing for this concert. Suggested admission is $25 or “pay what you can” at the door. Advance tickets are available at sevendaystickets.com for $25 only. As always, 18 and under are free.

The 60-member chorus, now directed by Richard Riley, has presented unique programs for 45 years. In this concert, the chorus presents a typically diverse program with not only “Frostiana”, which is one of the most frequently-performed choral masterworks of the 20th century, but also two masterworks from 2010 by the Latvian composer Erik Esenwalds. The concert will also include three settings of the text “Ave Maris Stella” (“Hail, Star of the Sea”), as well as Thompson’s most famous work, “Alleluia,” first sung at the Tanglewood Music Festival in 1940. Lynnette Combs, long time friend and accompanist of the Onion River Chorus, will accompany the chorus on piano in “Frostiana” and other works.

“This program will be a unique opportunity for those in the audience to travel musically to territory both near and far,” says Riley. “I love the freshness of the poems by Robert Frost that underscore ‘Frostiana.’ We remember almost all of them, but are reminded how timeless they remain.” In addition to music from the U.S. and Latvia, the concert program will also take the audience to Italy and Norway.

For more info visit onionriverchorus.org or call 802.476.2541.