BALTIMORE — Hundreds of music lovers from the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan Area are expected to crowd The United House of Prayer for All People on Sunday, December 22 at 5 p.m. for the first Christmas concert of the Community Concert Choir (CCC) of Baltimore, Inc. The chorus, comprised of nearly 150 singers, will present a full repertoire of Christmas music, including classical selections from Handel’s Messiah, traditional carols, Negro spirituals, and gospel songs of the season.
“We are thrilled to sponsor the choir’s first of what we hope to be many Christmas concerts as a way to perpetuate the beautiful music that sets the tone for this season of love, joy and peace on earth,” said Dr. Brad R. Braxton, senior pastor of The Open Church. “This is a wonderful seasonal culmination to a successful year of commitment to diversity, radically inclusive love and courageous social justice activism. The Open Church is a care-full congregation, working with our schools, children, families, and community leaders and institutions to make a difference.”
During the concert on December 22, the program will feature the full choir and guest artists, one of the most noted classically trained church organists along the eastern seaboard, W. Patrick Alston, and accompanist Marcus D. Smith, a church music director and music faculty member at the Nathan Carter School of Music. All will collaborate with the choir’s director Marco K. Merrick, who established the CCC in 2010 to “preserve and promote the sacred music tradition of the African American Church.”
The CCC has quickly become a noted musical force in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan area, garnering standing-room only crowds at its signature concerts each spring and fall. The annual fall concert benefits programs for students in Baltimore City Public Schools and is sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc., Delta Lambda Chapter. Since its inception, the choir has been called upon for performances around the state.
This concert is free and open to the public. The United House of Prayer for All People is located at 3401 Edgewood Street, at the corner of Liberty Heights Ave., Baltimore, MD 21215. A freewill offering will be received during the concert, and a holiday reception will be held following the concert. For further information, visit www.theopenchurchmd.org or contact Marco K. Merrick at 410-728-4129 or marcomerrick@aol.com.