Public radio to air music of the season Concert participants include choirs, ringers

BANGOR – The sounds of Christmas fill the airwaves now. Nearly every singer from Bing Crosby to Dolly Parton to Elvis to rappers Run DMC has recorded a carol or two.

For many, the pop sounds that flood stores and radio stations during December are one more sign that the true meaning of Christmas has been lost to crass commercialism. Those melodies are very different from the music that will fill churches around the world Sunday night.

On Christmas Eve, Maine Public Radio will broadcast an hour of religious and secular music designed to share the true meaning of the birth of the Christ child.

Scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Sunday, the program will feature the choirs of two Bangor churches, a high school singing ensemble and a bell choir.

“Christmas at the St. Johns” will include the choirs of St. John’s Catholic Church and St. John’s Episcopal Church, as well as the Bangor High School Chamber Choir and the Jubilation Ringers of Hampden Highlands United Methodist Church.

Barry Darling, a recording engineer who has recorded the St. John’s Episcopal choir and the summer organ concert series at St. John’s Catholic Church, produced a similar program last year.

Darling said earlier this week that he records a total of 20 to 25 hours of the groups performing, taping up to four takes of each song. Then, he lets each director choose the best tracks for the broadcast.

The final step is editing the program, which takes between 10 and 15 hours of postproduction work, he said.

For the groups performing, the recording sessions add one more commitment to an already busy holiday calendar. The directors of the choirs, however, all said they were excited about doing the project again this year.

“Ultimately, we are sharing the joy of Christmas through our music,” said Jackie Frisk, director of the Jubilation Ringers. “We hope it will be meaningful to those who listen and help them celebrate the season.”

Frisk said that her 14 ringers recorded a handful of selections, including “Carol of the Bells,” “Advent Carol,” “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” and “In the Bleak Midwinter.”

These are some of the same selections the group will perform at Christmas Eve services. There is a distinct difference in performing live and performing for a recording, according to Frisk.

“The microphone hears everything,” she said. “You have to be very particular, very careful about page turns and every other kind of sound. An audience doesn’t always hear those things.”

George Redman, the choral director at Bangor High School chose two Latin songs written during the Renaissance for the 24-member Chamber Choir to perform. Students must audition to join the group, which specializes in singing music written between 1400 and 1600.

“Both of these texts are for Advent and Christmas,” explained Redman. “They are more upbeat pieces than the ones we did for the program last year. Those were more contemplative, but this type of music provides a wonderful challenge for the singers.”

Darling said that the idea behind the program was to air music that churchgoers might hear on Christmas Eve. He added that Maine Public Radio hoped “Christmas at the St. Johns” would be especially meaningful to those who were unable to attend Christmas Eve services.