COMFORT AND JOY​

DECEMBER 19 & 22, 2024
Our cherished holiday tradition of seasonal choral music returns with Comfort + Joy for two performances. Hailed as an 'enlightening musical journey' by The Washington Post, this year’s beloved holiday concert will present British and American works that embody the spirit of the season, such as Lute-Book Lullaby, I Saw Three Ships, Puer Natus by Samuel Scheidt and Hosanna to the Son of David by Orlando Gibbons. In addition to these classics, the Chorale will perform 2022 Florence Price Commission Winner Mason Bynes’s Ephiphanytide and Ēriks Ešenvalds’ thrilling piece for choir and tuned glass, Northern Lights.

Northern Lights is a setting of first hand accounts of arctic explorers Charles Francis Hall and Fridtjof Nansen and uses the ethereal sounds of tuned glass and handchimes. The work will feature tenor soloist Opal Clyburn-Miller.
Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024 | 7:30pm
St. Ann's Catholic Church
4001 Yuma St. NW
Washington, DC
Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 | 5:00pm
Church of the Epiphany
1317 G Street NW
Washington, DC

Sample the Sounds of the Season
Northern Lights by Ēriks Ešenvalds | Performed by the Providence Singers

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Opal Clyburn-Miller (they/them) Guest Tenor

Meet Opal Clyburn-Miller
Guest Tenor Soloist

Opal Clyburn-Miller (they/them), currently based in Baltimore, is a singer whose work runs the gamut of western art music. From Gregorian Chant to High Renaissance polyphony, from Mozart to Britten, Opal is committed to well-informed performance practices that value the aesthetic experiences of the time.

Opal has spent 10+ years of their life taking formal vocal instruction, 15+ years of study on some instrument, and ~20 years of exposure to their grandfather’s favorite jazz cassettes, CDs, and records.