The 2025-2026 Concert Season

Winter Concert Info
COMING SOON

Spring Concert Info
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Just when we need it most, the Arizona Masterworks Chorale presented some of the greatest choral pieces ever!

November 30: Messiah Sing-Along 2025

The Arts at Ascension presents the fourth annual Sing-Along of George Frederick Handel’s classic holiday oratorio “Messiah”. It’s a free, family holiday fun afternoon, featuring soloists and choristers from The Arizona Masterworks Chorale and the North Scottsdale United Methodist Church, musicians from the Women’s Orchestra of Arizona — and the voices of everyone who loves singing choruses from Handel’s magnificent creation.

Come and sing along, or just sit back and enjoy the greatest Christmas oratorio ever. No rehearsal necessary for singers! If you don’t have a score, click below to download one in PDF.

Sunday, November 30 at 3:00 PM
North Scottsdale United Methodist Church
11735 North Scottsdale Road, Just South of Cactus Road
Admission Free – Donations Requested

The Program
Sinfonia (Overture: Orchestra)
Ev’ry Valley (James Stirling, Tenor Soloist)
Chorus: And the glory of the Lord
Thus Saith the Lord / But who may abide (TBD, Bass Soloist)
Chorus: And He shall purify
Behold, a virgin shall conceive (Ashlie Smith, Alto Soloist)
Chorus: O thou that tellest good tiding to Zion
The people that walked in darkness (TBD, Bass Soloist)
Chorus: For unto us a child is born
Pifa (Pastoral: Orchestra)
There were shepherds … And suddenly there was with the angel (TBD, Soprano Soloist)
Chorus: Glory to God in the Highest
Rejoice, greatly (Nino Cole Garguglio,Soprano Soloist)
He shall feed his flock (Ashlie Smith, Alto Soloist and TBD, Soprano Soloist )
Chorus: His yoke is easy
Chorus: Halleluja!

No rehearsal is required!
Bring your own choral score or download this one, and join in the fun.
Admission is free, donations are requested to benefit all Arts at Ascension members.

December 14: You Rutter Watch Out!

A Masterworks Chorale Christmas

Fun for the whole family with holiday masterpieces from Master Composer John Rutter, a joyous community sing-along, and seasonal favorites from the Chorale. Be a part of it all on
Sunday, December 14 at 3 PM
in the sanctuary at Church of the Epiphany, 2222 South Price Road, Tempe

Concert Program

You Rutter Watch Out!
The Essential Carols of John Rutter

Shepherd’s Pipe Carol
Nativity Carol
Candlelight Carol
Angel Carol
Donkey Carol
Star Carol
Sans Day Carol
I Wish You Christmas

A Community Sing-Along
We’re All in the Mood for Good Cheer!

Seasonal Favorites
The Chorale Celebrates the Joy of the Season

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Eddie Pola)
Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson)
Carol of the Bells (Peter Wilhousky)
Light the Candles (Jill Galina)
The Twelve Days After Christmas (Frederick Silver)
Throw the Yule Log On, Uncle John (P. D. Q. Bach)
Deck the Halls in 7/8 (James McKelvy)
Sir Christèmas (William Matthias)

Notes on the program from AMC Music Director Darren Herring

“We’re celebrating the choral legacy of Christmas through the brilliance of John Rutter and a touch of Holiday music and mischief”

John Rutter’s Christmas music holds a unique and enduring place in the landscape of modern choral masterworks. While steeped in tradition, his writing speaks with a contemporary freshness that resonates with both performers and audiences alike. Rutter’s gift lies in his ability to balance accessibility with artistic depth—his carols and anthems shimmer with warmth, joy, and lyricism, yet they are crafted with the skill of a true Master Composer.

His Christmas music in particular has become a cornerstone of the season. Through elegant melodies, lush harmonies, and texts that celebrate the sacred and the festive, Rutter captures the very essence of Christmas: the mingling of reverence and rejoicing, mystery and celebration. In doing so, he has created works that not only stand alongside the greatest carols of history but also define the sound of Christmas for our time.

For choirs, Rutter’s music is both a joy and a challenge to sing—demanding sensitivity, nuance, and precision—yet rewarding in its ability to uplift both singer and listener. For audiences, his works have become synonymous with the holidays, evoking memory, nostalgia, and timeless wonder. In the truest sense, John Rutter has given the world modern masterworks: music that bridges past and present, music that makes Christmas sing.

Programs are subject to change without notice.