Tis the Musical Season

The Bismarck Mandan Civic Chorus opens its 48th season with its annual Christmas concert, “Winter Wonderland,” on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck. The concerts are free and open to the public as a gift to the community. “The holiday season can be a time of emotional and financial stress,” chorus director, Tom Porter says. “We want to create a moment of beauty and joy that can be enjoyed by everyone in the community.” A freewill offering will be taken to support the mission and operations of the chorus. 

 

The concert features holiday favorites, including

“O Holy Night,” “White Christmas,” and “O Come,

All Ye Faithful,” as well as choral masterworks by G.F.

Handel, Eric Whitacre and Daniel Pinkham. Featured

numbers include “Variations on Jingle Bells,”

performed by the men of the choir with a surprise

soloist, and an arrangement of Joni Mitchell’s classic

song, “River,” sung by the women of the choir with

soloist Sydney Helgeson. According to Porter, “There

is something to delight each listener, from traditional

carols to movie classics, from classical composers to

folk artists. The music is a kaleidoscope of sound that

celebrates winter and the holidays.”

 

One of the pieces, “White Promise,” was written by

Porter to celebrate the Civic Chorus’ 20th anniversary

in 1998. The text is by a North Dakota pioneer, Eva K.

Anglesburg, and reflects on the beauty of the world after a new-fallen snow. “I think we have all had that moment when, after a gentle snow, the world is quiet and pure and peaceful. Angleburg’s poem captures that moment perfectly,” Porter says.

 

The program features another North Dakota composer, long-time NDSU choral conductor Edwin Kissinger, with a seasonal favorite, “Love Came Down at Christmas.”

 

Special guest performers at “Winter Wonderland" include a Christmas Brass Ensemble, Civic Chorus accompanist Joel Walters, and choirs from Simle Middle School and Shiloh Christian School. 

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The Trinity Lutheran Church Quilter’s Circle will display quilts at the concert. The organization sews, assembles and quilts hundreds of quilts each year as donations to Lutheran World Relief, Camp of the Cross, for youth fundraisers and several other deserving organizations in the community. For those looking for a unique holiday gift, quilts are for sale for $60 each to raise funds to continue the ministry. 

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BMCC 2026 Concerts

Valentine Serenade: Feb. 14, 2025, at Sixteen03 Main Events

Spring Concert: April 25, 2026, at Belle Mehus Auditorium

 

For more information, call 701-355-4458 or visit the Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus Facebook page. You also can reach BMCC Executive Coordinator Scooter Pursley at spursley@clearwatercommunications.net.

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