Photo by John Eaton

Cheryl Hein Walters who plays the harp and is the director of Hamilton-Gibson’s Choir, Too is pictured with members of her choir during a rehearsal for the upcoming Dickens of a Concert. 

The Hamilton-Gibson Children and Youth Choirs, composed of students in the second through the twelfth grades, will help kick off Wellsboro’s Dickens of a Christmas weekend with their annual Dickens of a Concert on Friday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Central Avenue in Wellsboro. 

The concert will open with Choir, Too, the Children’s Concert Choir and the Youth Ensemble singing the “Antiphonal Deck the Hall” and “Amen, Go Tell It!”, a traditional spiritual.

The audience will then join the choirs in singing “Joy to the World.”

Choir, Too, accompanied on harp by Cheryl Hein Walters, their director, will perform “What Child is This” and, accompanied by Gary Citro on drum, will sing “African Noel.” Citro is the piano accompanist for all three Hamilton-Gibson choirs.

The Children’s Concert Choir and Choir, Too will then sing “Winter Fantasy, which includes “Jingle Bells.”

The Children’s Concert Choir will perform “One December, Bright and Clear” and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and join the Youth Ensemble in singing “Cold Snap.” Thomas Putnam directs both of these choirs.

The audience and choirs will sing “O Come, All Ye Faithful” followed by guest soloist Laureen Wolgemuth, soprano, performing “O Holy Night.”

The Youth Ensemble will sing “Some Children See Him” with Wolgemuth as soloist and then “Past Three O’Clock (Carol of the “London Waits”) and “January Hymn.”

After the audience and choirs sing Hark! The Herald Angel”, the concert will end with the three choirs accompanied by hand bells and drums performing “Sing for Peace” by Jim Papoulis and Francisco Nunez of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. The word “peace” will be sung in eight different languages. 

Tickets can be purchased online at hgp.booktix.com or at the door. Admission is $10 for adults; and $5 for students and children,18 and under.

For more information about the concert, call 570-724-2079 or email hamgib@gmail.com.