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“Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.” Winston Churchill

I’m rerunning some Choral Ethics blogs from years past with a few modifications where needed. Two of my MOST REQUESTED December Blogs will also be making their yearly appearances.

In a few days, it will be Christmas Eve. Your plans have been made for months if you’re anything like me. But this is the Christmas of 2025, so you probably have a “Plan B” if you’re smart and I know you are. Here in the Midwest, there could be a blizzard predicted, so that always adds another layer of planning. Just when we think things are back to “normal,” something happens to mess it all up!

Advent and Christmas, more than Lent and Easter, are much more stressful for our profession. I’m not sure why, but perhaps it’s the gift giving and baking and traveling to see family and friends and all the concerts and services we must prepare or attend. Or maybe it’s just the time of year, who knows? We have many things to accomplish, usually in the dark, and we rarely get all accomplished. I do know for a fact we’re all stressed.

I am here today to remind you to try to be as relaxed as you are able to be, in this super busy season for Choral Folk. Take a breath and when you are thrown for a loop, take another breath. And be kind. Be kind to those around you, whether they be your family, your choir or those you work with. Make kindness “your thing” this Christmas, no matter what happens. Be kind, my dear friends, and reap the benefits later.

Stress cancels out the beauty of the season and there is plenty of beauty so take a breath, do your Alexander Technique breathing or yoga breathing, and take a moment to relax and enjoy. You deserve the beauty; you deserve the goodness you’ve been creating for everyone else this holiday season. You deserve to have some cookies and eggnog and punch, so have some. And you deserve to have some Fa-La-Las directed by someone else for a change!

Know you’ve made a difference in someone’s life this holiday season and you may never know it. Be okay with not knowing because that will be your gift to the world. Your choir singing “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” may have comforted a child who lost a parent this year or someone newly widowed. Singing “Silent Night” may be the only time a rough and tough teenager uses their voice and finds they like singing. Something you do, something you have planned, something you are not aware of will make a difference. You may find out, you may not, but know you have made a difference.

Much love to you all, ChoralNet, as we ’round the corner to Christmas.

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GUEST BLOG: “Choral Ethics (Part 11): Rock Star,” by Marie Grass Amenta

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CHORAL ETHICS (Part 11): ROCK STAR by Marie Grass Amenta   “I won’t be a rock star. I will be a legend.”  Freddie Mercury   My youngest brother is a conservatory trained percussionist…..which means he’s played for a LOT of rock bands.  Classically trained, he likes playing for rock bands more than orchestras. Why?  The […]

New Japanese Folk Song for SATB from Colla Voce Music

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Click the cover image to view the score in its entirety.   This new arrangement of a traditional Japanese folk song is a must-have for any choral library. Staying true to the source material, Miho Sasaki has created a compelling arrangement that would be a perfect addition to any concert program. The piano creates a […]

Get together on 11th May.

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The London Alternative Choir are having a get-together to start a new season.  It’s a friendly meeting over coffee and a chat, to discuss what new singers like, any suggestions for plans for the future, and what we’ve done recently.  It’s going to be on Monday evening, 11th of May, starting at 7.00pm until 9.30pm,  […]

Agnus Dei – Franco Prinsloo

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New choral works by South African composers are published by www.baobabpublishers.com Have a look at Agnus Dei by Franco Prinsloo. http://www.baobabpublishers.com/products/agnus-dei   A beautiful, slow and mournful piece. Voicing: SS(S)AATTBB Chorus with optional S solo, a cappellaComposition: Original, Sacred compositionDifficulty: AdvancedText: Text of the “Agnus Dei”Language: LatinDuration: ca.4 minComposed in: 2013Commissioned: Commissioned by Renette Bouwer for the UJ Choir

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