Choral music is central to the holiday spirit – from Jingle Bells to Handel’s Messiah. Learn why Christmas choral music has always been a standard for classical composers as well as popular radio stations. In a lecture kicking off our new music series, Perfect Octave, Andrew Jonathan Welch will explore different holiday singing traditions in preparation for a December 19^th concert of holiday choral music. He will look at pieces from throughout the Western music canon as well as from more recent, popular traditions. Special attention will be given to the music that will be performed at the upcoming concert by EightFold at Hill Center, which features Francis Poulenc’s Quatre Motets Pour Le Temps de Noël.

Each season in Perfect Octave, Welch will unpack a musical genre or piece through a lecture and a live performance, helping audiences to see music through its historical and social context and experience it with a deeper understanding.

Welch is a pianist, conductor and composer in Washington, DC. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where he was recognized with the Robert McCoy award in collaborative piano, and American University, where he earned the university’s prestigious Evelyn Swarthout Hayes Award.

Register for individual events in the series or buy a bundle! The December bundle is $25 and includes the lecture, Why We Sing of Christmas?, and the Temps de Noël concert.

Learn to love chamber music.