It’s never too early to get ready for the holidays, and the Park City Singers are getting a jump on their Yuletide cheer.

The nonprofit, local choir will start rehearsals for their upcoming Christmas concerts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at Park City Community Church, 4501 N. S.R. 224. The weekly rehearsals will run from 7-9 p.m. until the group’s concerts that are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 14 at the church.

Pianist Katy Lillquist will accompany the rehearsals and concerts. You might recognize her for her work with The Park City Follies, a local musical production that lampoons all things Park City, said Director Joe Demers.

“We would like to put a call out and say we need men’s voices — tenor and bass,” he said. “We’ve had a couple of years with some strong men’s voices, and I’m hoping those same people come back. But we can also use more men.”

The other section the choir would like to fill out are sopranos, Demers said.

“They have the melody a lot, so we can always use their help,” he said.

Singers who are interested in joining the choir can register online at parkcitysingers.org. 

“There is a fee of $45 to participate, and that basically helps with deferring the cost of the music,” Demers said. “We did buy some new music this year, so we will have a few new pieces that we will showcase.”

Some of the new pieces include “While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks” and “Benedictus,” according to Demers.

“‘While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks’ is a different version from what many people know, and it’s more subdued,” he said. “When we listened to it, we thought it was great, and we knew we needed to do it.”

“Benedictus” by Karl Jenkins is part of a larger work called “The Armed Man,” Demers explained.

“It’s like one of the first pieces in the work, and it’s beautiful,” he said. “The harmonies are amazing, and it’s also pretty subdued.”

The singers will also rehearse two additional new works, “A Choral Amen” by John Rutter and “Bidi Bom” by David Elddleman. 

“‘Bidi Bom’ is an upbeat Hanukkah song, and at the end it goes really fast,” Demers said. “Everyone will sing it counter-punctually, which means they are singing at different times, even though the harmonies all connect.”

“A Choral Amen” is another subdued work filled with interesting harmonies, Demers said.

“One of the reasons why we have so many subdued pieces is because we’re working on our dynamics more this year,” he said. “We have a wider range of louds and softs, and that’s because we want everybody to experience those ranges, so when we end the piece the audience will feel they connected with the piece really well.”

The concerts will also include some holiday favorites, some of which the Park City Singers haven’t performed for a while, Demers said.

Those works include the German carol “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,” “A Christmas Waltz,” which has been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee and Doris Day, to name a few, “A Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

“We also have the ‘Santa’s on His Way’ medley, which is cool and jazzy, and we’re doing a piece called ‘The Christmas Classic Collection’ that has elements of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ as well as works like ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing,’” Demers said. “Again, like ‘Bidi Bom,’ this is performed counter-punctually, and it’s fascinating to hear two different melodies going on at the same time gel with each other.”

Among the classical works, the Park City Singers plan to perform “Gloria” from Schubert’s “Mass in G.”

“We did that one about three years ago, so we’re pulling that out again,” he said. “So, there’s a pretty cool snippet of what we’re doing this year.”

As Demers selected the works earlier this year, he purposely selected songs that would challenge the singers.

“We don’t want anybody to be bored,” he said with a laugh. “Last year’s pieces were very challenging, so I’m backing off a little bit. But while this year’s works are a little easier, the harder parts will be implementing that dynamic range of louds and softs. We can learn the notes well, but we’ll work on how to bring out the louder parts that have the melodies and how the other parts will be in harmony together.”

Upon registration, singers will receive a link to digital versions of the songs, Demers said.

“When I started with the Park City Singers in 2016 — I think that’s right — we made CDs,” he said. “Now, we have progressed to digital files.”

Demers has been recording the piano and men’s parts, and he recruited longtime singer Darla Cardwell to record the soprano and alto parts. 

“In the meantime, I have sent everybody who has registered so far YouTube videos of all the songs we’re singing as well,” Demers said. “That way we can start the first rehearsal on the ground running.”

The singers will receive a packet of music the first night of rehearsals, and the packets will also be available digitally for those who want to access the works on iPads or other electronic devices.

“We’re trying to be in the digital age in the 21st century and provide opportunities for all to access what they need in ways they are comfortable,” he said.

Demers is grateful to the Park City Singers board — including B.J. Reed, Mary Gootjes and treasurer Willa Fleming-Harkness — who approved the purchase of all the new music this year.

“I’d also like to thank our librarian Maggie Messina,” he said. “She’s the one who has everything organized. She put together the physical packets and has digitized a lot of music so people can access them through their electronic devices.”

Park City Singers Rehearsals