The Western Carolina Community Chorus will be joined by The Smoky Mountain Brass and Friends for a gala concert at 8 p.m. on Friday evening, Dec. 17. 

The performance will be presented in the Music Recital Hall, located in the Coulter Building on the Western Carolina University Cullowhee campus.

The two music groups will collaborate in presenting “Christmas Voices and Brass,” a medley of Christmas carols, old and new.  Many of the titles are familiar favorites, and all are being presented in settings composed and arranged by Richard Trevarthen and James Dooley, both retired professors of music at Western Carolina University.  Dooley, also long-time director of the chorus, will conduct the performance.

The Western Carolina Community Chorus is the oldest community choral group in western North Carolina. The organization is sponsored by Western Carolina University, the Jackson County Arts Council, and the Grassroots Program of the North Carolina Arts Council. Since its inception in 1970, it has performed some 80 concerts in fifteen different locations throughout the region.

There is no admission charge, but response to the chorus’ annual holiday concerts is generally excellent, and everyone should plan to arrive a few minutes early to ensure good seating.