OLLI gets in the holiday spirit with a tradition that has taken place in Peoria for 90 years.
OLLI attended Sunday afternoon’s performance of Christmas with the Philharmonic Chorale held at the Performing Arts Center at Illinois Central College. The Philharmonic Chorale welcomed singers from all over Central Illinois, and there were close to 50 performers present for this holiday production. The Philharmonic Chorale is led by J. Michael Morris who entered his twelfth year as director.
The music for the performance ranged in repertoire with selections such as, Three Nativity Carols, In the Bleak Midwinter, and Love Came Down at Christmas. It can often be said that music is such an integral part of the Holiday season; and OLLI members could be found singing themselves, as a number of selections asked for audience participation. A number of the selections also included instrumentation from a variety of professional guest artists which added another musical layer to the performance.
OLLI’s own Dottie Strickler, Philharmonic Chorale Executive Board Member, sang with the choir. Dottie also spoke with OLLI members regarding the various nuisances of organizing a musical production for the Philharmonic Chorale. Peoria is very fortunate to have volunteer groups that work hard each year to bring quality musical performances to the community. Towards the end of the concert the chorale led the audience with the holiday classic Joy to the World. It was truly fascinating to hear so many voices coming together to express the meaning of the holiday season through the beauty of music.
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