Crescendo At Home: Festive Baroque Christmas Music

Here is a special gift from Crescendo at Home just in time for the holiday.

Festive Baroque Christmas Music – an Open Rehearsal
Crescendo Chorus in rehearsal presents a final run-through of their December 20, 2021 session

Explore more Christmas Music on Crescendo at Home!

A selection from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio BWV 248

  • “Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht”, Choral II/12
  • “Schaut hin”, Choral II/17 
  • “Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe”, Coro II/21 
  • “So recht, ihr Engel, jauchzt und singet”, Recitativo (Bass) II/12 and “Wir singen dir”, Choral II/23

“Ihr lieben Hirten” by Andreas Hammerschmidt
Jennifer Tyo, Solo soprano

“O Magnum Mysterium” à 8 Giovanni Gabrieli

Singers from Crescendo Chorus
(*Section Leaders)

  • Sarah Fay*, Emily Elliot, Sarah Melcher, Roberta Roll, Jennifer Tyo* – Sopranos
  • Sarah Bleasdale*, Susan Francisco, Martha Nesbitt, Lauren Paul, Susan Pettee, Mary Sullivan, Tricia van Oers* – Altos
  • Gordon Gustafson, Susan Hooker, Peter Perkins*, Doug Schmolze*, Randy Orzano – Tenors
  • Jim Barrett*, John-Arthur Miller*, Tom Schindler, Michael Wise – Basses

Christine Gevert, Organ and Direction

Filmed and recorded by Charlette Media Productions on location at Trinity Church, Lime Rock, CT

New! Crescendo At Home

Explore Crescendo at Home Concerts!

Now you can watch Crescendo’s concerts at home at any time with our virtual concert portal – Crescendo at Home!

We want to keep choral and baroque music experiences alive not only during the pandemic, but also for your pleasure, comfort and for anyone who is not able to attend concerts in person.

Three of our latest summer/fall 2021 concerts have already been produced, and are ready for you to view. They include Crescendo Chorus and Soloists, Crescendo Chamber Music Ensemble and Crescendo Period Instrument Orchestra concerts. We will also be adding music from earlier concerts for you to revisit or explore for the first time.

Recorded in high quality audio by former Carnegie Hall engineer Leszek Wojcik, and filmed in high definition by Charlette Media Productions, we offer you an experience that is similar to being there in person. It even brings you closer to the performers than you ever would in a live concert.

Each concert video is $10 to purchase and gives you unlimited viewing opportunities to watch at your convenience.

Watch, and share with your family and friends!  Subscribe to our e-Newsletter for news on upcoming Crescendo at Home programming.

Educational Videos

History and performance of Negro Spiritual and Gospel music – with baritone Jermaine Woodard Jr.!

Join Christine Gevert for a conversation with baritone Jermaine Woodard Jr. all about gospel music!  Recorded: December 9, 2020

Modern Latin American Choral Music with Andean influence

Carlos Boltes Palma, award winning charango and viola player, and expert in Latin American music talks with Crescendo’s Founding Artistic Director Christine Gevert about the influence of Andean heritage in the choral music of the late 19th and the 20th centuries.

Besides well-known Argentinian composer Ariel Ramirez’s Misa Criolla and Navidad Nuestra, other works will be explored, with special emphasis on Jaime León’s Misa Andina (1981), premiered by Crescendo in the U.S. in 2014.

Photo of Carlos Boltes Palma by: Edward J Parent.

Who is Crescendo?

Who is Crescendo, and what is their story? Join Christine Gevert, Artistic Director of Crescendo, and singers Kathy Drake and Tom Schindler as they share some of their favorite moments from seasons past, and what they’re most looking forward to in this virtual season of music.

This season, Crescendo will be taking our music online in our Virtual Season of offerings!

Through a series of regular videos, culminating in a full program on December 19th at 4pm ET, Crescendo will present some of the greatest choruses, arias and recitatives of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, parts I & II. This season will include “Villancicos” of the Colonial Baroque in South America, by composers such as Juan de Araujo and Matías Durango, and also excerpts of famous Argentinian 20th century’s composer Ariel Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra. We will also embark this year in exploring a genre and style that we have not yet performed with Crescendo: compositions by black composers, based on the Negro Spiritual and Gospel music.

“Alleluia” from Coronation Anthem HWV 260 by George Frideric Handel
Crescendo Chorus and Period Instrument Orchestra, directed by Christine Gevert. October 2019

Excerpt of Act I of Acis y Galatea by Antonio de Literes
Crescendo Vocal Ensemble, soprano Catherine Hancock, and Period Instruments. Co-directed by Salomé Sandoval and Christine Gevert. December, 2019

Allegro from Sonata Op.1 No. 6 by Giovanni Pittoni
Hideki Yamaya, theorbo and Christine Gevert, organ. September 2019

“Sey nun wieder zufrieden, meine Seele” à 8 by Johann Michael Bach
Crescendo Chorus and Period Instrument Orchestra, directed by Christine Gevert, May 2019

Excerpts of “West Lake Cycle” by John Myers, commissioned for and premiered by Crescendo Chorus, Speaker and instruments, in 2013.

“Vidi Speciosa” à 6 by Tomas Luis de Victoria
Crescendo Vocal Ensemble, Hideki Yamaya, theorbo and Christine Gevert, organ. February 2020

“Hodie completi sunt” à 8 by Hieronymus Praetorius
Crescendo ‘Virtual’ Vocal Ensemble, directed by Christine Gevert, organ. Recorded remotely and assembled digitally in May 2020

All recordings, except “Hodie completi sunt” are live recordings. All used with permission by the performers. All scores are in the Public Domain, or are used with permission of the editor.

Exploring the Baroque Trumpet

Hear about the history of the Baroque Trumpet from First Trumpet of the Crescendo Period Instrument Orchestra, Christopher Belluscio!

Video Produced by Adam Reinwald – Open Voices, LLC and Sara Langworthy – DeveloPlay, LLC

What are villancicos?

Hear from experts Luciana Kube (singer, philologist) and Paul Feller (musicologist) as they discuss the origin and musical background of the villancico.

Get to know the Baroque Guitar!

Learn about the Baroque Guitar – it’s history and differences from a modern guitar – and hear special guest Hideki Yamaya play a piece on his baroque guitar! Video Produced by: Sara Langworthy, DeveloPlay LLC