Portland, Ore. – Northwest Vocal Arts (NWVA) – celebrates the holiday season with two concerts on Saturday, December 20 at 2 pm and Sunday, December 21 at 7 pm, at Rose City Park United Methodist Church, located at 5830 NE Alameda St. in Portland.
Titled Voices of Winter – New Light, the concerts will feature the professional NWVA Olympia Chamber Choir and Evergreen Youth Choir performing works by a wonderful variety of composers, from the acclaimed English composer Benjamin Britten to award-winning R&B singer-songwriter India Aire. Thanks to generous donations from the public and a substantial grant from San Francisco-based non-profit Chance to Excel, all members of the youth choir receive a full tuition scholarship.
Highlights of the concert include Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, a fascinating cycle of medieval texts chosen for their varied moods, from joyful to solemn, featuring harp accompaniment and set to music that uses both traditional plainchant and modern harmonic language.
Other highlights include the Nigerian traditional Oba Ti De (Here Comes the King), arranged by Jeffrey Ames and I am the Light by India Aire, a lyrical and spiritual affirmation of inner peace and identity. The choir will also perform audience favorites Glow by Eric Whitacre, Three Nativity Carols by Stephen Paulus with harp and oboe, and much more.
General admission is $35 ($15 for students). Tickets may be purchased at eventbrite.com.
More Concerts this Season
Cordilheira: Range of the Americas-Music of Brazil, featuring Bendita Sabedoria by Villa-Lobos, a post-concert reception with live music, traditional Brazilian treats and more, Sunday, March 15, 2026 3:00 p.m.
About Northwest Vocal Arts
Northwest Vocal Arts is a non-profit organization based in Portland, Ore., that strives to foster human connection, inspire the next generation of professional and amateur musicians, and positively impact individuals and audiences in the Pacific Northwest and beyond through the universal language of vocal music and innovative community-focused initiatives.
NWVA currently has two ensembles – a professional chamber choir featuring some of the region’s finest vocal musicians, and a youth choir that is open to high school students of all ages.
Thanks to generous donors, every member of our youth choir is provided with a 100% tuition scholarship, regardless of prior experience and without an audition.
With this groundbreaking approach, NWVA removes a significant barrier of entry for young singers and their families.
Learn more at www.nwvocalarts.org.
Artistic Team and Leadership
Portland native Samuel Barbara is Northwest Vocal Arts’ founder and executive artistic director. He has a doctorate in choral music from the University of Southern California and is currently Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus. He previously served as Director of Choral Activities at Westminster College and as Director of Choirs at Cleveland High School in Portland, where his choirs won the 5A Oregon State choir championships three times.
Karen Bohart directs the NWVA Youth Choir. She is Director of Choirs at Wilsonville High School and is past-President of the Oregon American Choral Director Association (ACDA). She has served on the Oregon Music Educators Association (OMEA) Board and previously served on the Oregon ACDA Board as the Treble Choir Repertoire and Standards Chair. ###