Alison Stewart: This is All Of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. One way to enjoy the holiday season is to sing. This weekend, the West Village Chorale is hosting its 50th annual Greenwich Village Caroling Walk. You can join the community for free and walk around the village and share in the holiday spirit. Now, to get us in the holiday spirit are members of the West Village Chorale, who are here for a special live performance. The Greenwich Village Caroling Walk is Sunday at 2:00 PM by the way, and if you like what you hear, the Chorale's holiday concert is Friday, December 20th at 7:30 PM.

Tickets are available on their website. Now, curl up with a nice hot beverage and welcome the West Village Chorale back to the WNYC Studios. Hello, everyone.

West Village Chorale Members: Hey.

Alison Stewart: What are we going to hear first?

Diane: We're going to sing Deck the Halls.

Alison Stewart: Deck the Halls. Let's do it.

[MUSIC - West Village Chorale: Deck the Halls]

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Fa la la la la, la la la la

'Tis the season to be jolly

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Don we now our gay apparel

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Troll the ancient Yuletide carol

Fa la la la la, la la la la

See the blazing yule before us

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Strike the harp and join the chorus

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Follow me in merry measure

Fa la la la la, la la la la, fa la la la la, la la la la

While I tell of Yuletide treasure

Fa la la la la, la la la la la la

Fast away, the old year passes

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Hail the new, ye lads and lasses

Fa la la la la, la la la la la la

Sing we joyous all together

Fa la la la la, la la la la la la

Heedless of the wind and weather

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Alison Stewart: So exciting. Now, before we go get any further, I want everybody to go up to the microphone, tell me your name, where you live in the city, and why you like to sing. Which mic are we going to use? Hey, Luke, point me to the right mic for folks to talk to. That one. That one. All right. Go-- Ma'am.

Lauren: Hi, my name is Lauren Silber. I live in the West Village, and I've been in the choir for 22 years. Initially, I joined the choir because it was four blocks from my house and I knew I would get myself there with no excuses. I love to sing, especially in a group. It's just a magical experience that can't be duplicated.

Alison Stewart: All right, next.

Diane: Hi, my name is Diane Patterson. I've been with the group for 11 years. I live in Brooklyn, New York. Yay. [chuckles] I just love to sing. That's my woo song. When I'm having a rough day, I sing, and music is just wonderful.

Alison Stewart: All right, next.

Katherine: Hi, I'm Katherine Schoonover. I like the two previous speakers, Em and alto. You're hearing the alto section. I live in the West Village near Lauren, and I love to sing. I discovered it fairly recently, although I've been in the choir now 11 years, so I guess not that recently. It does something to you. It gives you a wonderful feeling, puts you in a great state mentally, and there's a real community, and our choir is a family.

Alison Stewart: Thank you very much. Who's next?

Justin: Hey, y'all. I'm Justin Beck. I've sung bass in the West Village Chorale for 11 years. I live up in Washington Heights. I'm a professional singer, but aside from that, I'd love to sing because it revives the soul.

Alison Stewart: Love it. Thank you so much.

Jack: Hi, I'm Jack. I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and I love to sing with the choir because I just love making music with others, and I love being in community with them every week.

Alison Stewart: Terrific. Okay, who's next? Hi.

John Herzfeld: Hi. My name's John Herzfeld, and I live in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. I've always loved music. First, rock and roll, and then, classical. What singing does for me is to allow me to actually be part of making and not just listening to it. Also, you get to meet a lot of interesting people.

Alison Stewart: Good job. Who's next?

John Onderdonk: Hi, I'm John Onderdonk. I live in the West Village. I've been with the choir for 23 years, and I sing because it just makes me happy. Tuesday, a night when we have our rehearsals is usually my happiest night of the week.

Alison Stewart: [chuckles] I love it.

Joe: My name is Joe Haydam. I'm a tenor. I've been with the group since 2018. I love music of all sorts, and I love this group in particular for the community and for the sort of cooperative spirit.

Alison Stewart: Nice to meet you.

Liam: I'm Liam McNamara. I'm a tenor. I've been with the chorale for about eight years now. I actually hail from New Jersey.

Alison Stewart: Woo.

Liam: What I love about music is just the ability to create something beautiful with other people and just escape from whatever else is going on.

Sandra: Hello. I'm Sandra Ward, a soprano. I live in Greenwich Village. I joined in 2018, and I was a dancer first. So singing is a different form of expression. Singing with a group is wonderful. It's good for mind, body, and spirit.

Alison Stewart: I recognize this lady.

Katie: Hi, my name is Katie Fitzgerald. I am part of the small but mighty Westchester Contingent of the West Village Chorale. I've been with the group since 2012, and I've always loved singing. What I love about singing with choirs is that there is so much you can do as a group of 12, 20, or 60 that you can't do by yourself. It's a wonderful community, and I've met many dear friends through the group.

Suzanne: Hi, I'm Suzanne Hartman. I live right here in the village where I've lived for the past 47 years. I started singing with choirs when I was three years old, but I've only been with the Chorale for the past two years. Singing gives me joy, and also learning new music helps my brain to grow, and I really love it.

Alison Stewart: Like that, and finally.

Yanmin: Hi, my name is Yanmin Zhao. I'm from Chelsea. It's my first ever season with the Chorale. I'm a soprano, and I love singing because it brings me joy as well.

Alison Stewart: Okay, sir. You have to give your name, sir.

Henkel: My name is Henkel Espach, and it's my honor to be guest conducting with them here. I've been sort of part of the Chorale as their family for the past three years. For me, I'm not much of a singer out by myself, but I love to bring people together and make music together as a community, so that's the fun part for me.

Alison Stewart: And you are a snazzy dresser. I might say.

Henkel: Well, thank you.

Alison Stewart: Katie, I wanted to ask you, the Greenwich Village Caroling Walk, its 50th anniversary, it's happening Sunday at 2:00. What do you have planned?

Katie: We're actually starting from a different location than usual this year. We'll be at Our Lady of Pompeii Church at the corner of Carmine and Bleecker. We have members of our group sign up as volunteers. We typically have two group leaders. We'll take out a group of, I guess, 15 to 20 singers.

Diane: Yes, about 15 to 20 singers.

Katie: Basically, we have a caroling that we give everyone for the walk. It's kind of open call. Whatever songs people want to sing as we're walking. Everything from O Holy Night to Frosty and Rudolph. It's less about making a beautiful sound and more about making a joyful noise. We have people who sing, and we have people who just like to sing carols. It's always a great time.

Diane: It's a wonderful time of the year, and it's kind of our one of our community services that we do. I cut my teeth on the Carolyn Walk 11 years ago.

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: Okay.

Diane: It brings the neighborhood joy and we enjoy doing it.

Alison Stewart: All right. Let's hear more from the West Village Chorale. I'm going to take it away and let you decide what's next.

Diane: Night of Silence-

Alison Stewart: Night of Silence.

Diane: -and we're going to combine that with Silent Night.

Katie: Yes, and the author on the Night of Silence carol. It's words and music by Daniel Kantor.

[MUSIC - West Village Chorale: Night of Silence]

Cold are the people, winter of life

We tremble in shadows this cold endless night

Frozen in the snow lie roses sleeping

Flowers that will echo the sunrise

Fire of hope is our only warmth

Weary, it's flame will be dying soon

Voice in the distance, call in the night

On wind you enfold us You speak of the light

Gentle on the ear you whisper softly

Rumors of a dawn so embracing

Breathless love awaits darkened souls

Soon will we know of the morning

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

Shepherds quake at the sight

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia

Christ the Savior is born

Christ the Savior is born

Alison Stewart: That's members of the West Village Chorale. They'll be here to perform some holiday carols ahead of their 50th annual Greenwich Villian Caroling Walk on Sunday at 2:00 PM. It's free and open to the public. We'll have more after the break. This is All Of It. You are listening to All Of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. The members of the West Village Chorale, they're right here, right in studio performing some holiday carols for us ahead of their 50th annual Greenwich Village Caroling Walk. It's this Sunday at 2:00 PM. It's free. It's open to the public. Their winter concert is December 20th at 7:30 PM.

Diane, what do we know about the history of the Caroling Walk?

Diane: Well, I'm going to pass the baton to John Hertz, he was a historian.

Alison Stewart: All right, John.

John Herzfeld: Yes, the Caroling Walk was an off-- Our group began in '71, and a few years after that from the Church of St. Luke in the Fields. A few years after that, they launched the Caroling Walk as a way of giving an annual Christmas gift to the Village, the neighborhood that surrounds us. It's basically bringing Christmas music to the streets. Not just the background music in every story you walk into, but real, live people, friendly people walk up and join us spontaneously. We've moved many people to tears on the street, literally.

Mostly these days, they hold up their cameras and record us. I was also up here to introduce our next piece, though. That's why I'm standing at the mic.

Alison Stewart: All right. Introduce for us. Please tell us/

John Herzfeld: Our next number is a spiritual. It's a great example of how the Christmas spirit has been manifest throughout American history in a variety of cultural settings. We owe a debt to Vera Hall Ward, a house worker in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My Alabama relatives would not approve of my mispronouncing Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for recording this song in 1950 as part of the Ethnic Folkways Library Project. Here is What Month Was Jesus Born In?

[MUSIC - West Village Chorale: What Month Was Jesus Born In?]

What month was Jesus born in?

Last month of the year

What month was Jesus born in?

Last month of the year

Oh, Lord, you got January, February, March, oh Lord

You got April, May and June Lord

You got the July, August, September, October and November

You got twenty-fifth day of December Lord

It's the last month in the year

He was born in an ox-stall manger

Last month of the year

He was born in an ox-stall manger

Last month of the year

Was it January? No, no, no

February? No, no, no

March? No, no, no

Is it April, May, or June Lord

Was it July? July, August, September, October and November

It was the twenty-fifth day of December Lord

It's the last month in the year

I'm talking about Mary's baby

Born in the last month of the year

I'm talking about Mary's baby

Born in the last month of the year

Was it January? No, no, no

February? No, no, no

March? No, no, no

Is it April, May, or June Lord

Was it July? July, August, September, October and November

It was the twenty-fifth day of December Lord

It's the last month in the year

Alison Stewart: That's members of the West Village Chorale. We got this-- Somebody called in and said, "This is the best segment, the most New York City segment I've heard today. I just wanted to call in and say thank you." Thank you. Let's talk about the annual holiday concert taking place Saturday, December 20th at 7:30 PM. The theme of this year's concert is Dwell in Unity. How did you decide on that theme?

Katie: Our artistic director, Colin Britt, had, I guess, the idea for the idea for Themes of Unity. There's a lot going on in the world right now that is about disunity and disharmony. He found settings of the 133rd Psalm, which is behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. We have a couple of different settings in Hebrew and English of that Psalm. They along with some pieces relating to principles from Kwanzaa, Umoja and Ujima, which is unity and collective, I guess, collective work and economic cooperation.

Those pieces are all sort of bookending. Another piece that we are proud to present, the New York premiere of, I believe, which is sort of a reimagining of the Ceremony of Carols by a composer named Maggie Burke. That piece is called this Holy Hour. It's sort of reworking of some traditional carols and some new poetry, which is really gorgeous.

Alison Stewart: Diane, tell us about the Venue you perform in.

Diane: Oh my goodness. Judson Memorial. What a wonderful space. The acoustics are wonderful. We sound great.

Alison Stewart: [laughs]

Diane: Definitely have to come. The churches been there for a minute. I have attended some of the services there, and it's wonderful. The singing is wonderful. The church is wonderful and we love to perform there. That's our home.

Katie: Yes. The building is actually a historic building, a historic landmark designed by Stanford White. The space itself is gorgeous and the acoustic is 1892. Yes. It's been a very important part of the arts community for a long time.

Diane: Yes. It's a hub in the West Village there.

John Herzfeld: Henk, always music director.

Diane: Yes, yes.

Alison Stewart: All right, we're going to hear another tune. What are we going to hear?

Diane: Silver Bells.

Alison Stewart: Oh, so good.

[MUSIC - West Village Chorale: Silver Bells]

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas

Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile

And on every street corner you hear

Silver bells, silver bells

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring a ling, hear them ring

Soon it'll be Christmas day

Strings of streetlights, even stoplights

Blink of bright red and green

As the shoppers rush home with their treasures

Hear the snow crunch

See the kids bunch

This is Santa's big scene

And above all the bustle you'll hear

Silver bells, silver bells

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring a ling, hear them ring

Soon it'll be Christmas day

Soon it'll be Christmas day

Alison Stewart: That is the West Village Chorale. Katie, I'm going to have you come up to the mic real quick because folks are like, "Oh, I don't know where to go. I don't know when to hear them." I want you to explain. Everybody get your pencils out now. Where can they go for the caroling? When can they go for the choir? The whole spiel.

Katie: Sure. The Caroling Walk is this Sunday, December 15th. It starts at 2:00. We are operating out of Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Manhattan. It's at the corner of Bleecker and Carmine Streets. We're going to be in Father Demo hall, which is sort of right on the corner there by the. There's like an outdoor, like some outdoor vendors. We'll gather there, we'll assign people to different groups, and we will sort of spider out. John Onderdonk has designed all of our routes this year, so we will sort of spider out along the different paths in the neighborhood and.

We'll wind up back at the church at the end. Although people sometimes join along the way and then sort of peel off as we go.

Alison Stewart: And then the performance.

Katie: Our performance is next Friday, December 20th at 7:30 PM at Judson Memorial Church, which is right at the bottom of Washington Square Park. The address is 55 Washington Square South. Performance starts at 7:30. I think we'll probably open the house about 7:00.

Diane: 7:00.

Katie: We've got advance tickets available via our website, which is WestVillageChorale.org. If there are tickets left day of the show, we'll have some at the door. We've been lucky, the last few holiday concerts have sold out. We're not sold out yet.

Diane: Get them now.

Alison Stewart: Get them now.

Diane: Get them now. Get them online now.

Katie: Yes. We hope to see everybody there.

Alison Stewart: All right, Got it in one space. Thank you so much. Diane, what is the practice, the rehearsal schedule like for you guys?

Diane: We practice once a week on Tuesday night at Judson at 7:00 PM, from 7:00 PM to 9:45. When we get closer to that concert, we go to 10:00. I just want to say we also have auditions. We will be hosting auditions on January 7th. Just go to our website and there's a space there for auditions and you just click that on and you can email us and we'll see it. I personally will schedule you to come sing.

Alison Stewart: When someone is thinking, "Well, I don't have the skill level to audition." Make a pitch. Say, "Yes, you do. Yes, you have the skill level."

Diane: Yes.

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: I'm just guessing.

Diane: We kind of leave that to Dr. Britt. Okay. As he sees fit. He's wonderful at getting voices that marry in with the ones that he already has.

Alison Stewart: Right.

Diane: It's wonderful, yes.

Alison Stewart: It's not just the holiday concerts you have, right? You have concerts scheduled for 2025.

Diane: Yes.

Alison Stewart: Pop on up.

Katie: We usually do three concerts a year. Typically, December is a holiday concert and then we do concerts in March and then usually like late May or early June. Our March concert this year, the title is Requiem. We are juxtaposing the Gabriel Fauré Requiem, which is a piece that choral singers and audiences love. We have an orchestra coming. We're juxtaposing that with a piece by a composer named Joel Thompson, who's a living composer. The piece is called the Seven Last Words of the Unarmed, and it literally sets the last words of Black men who were killed by law enforcement.

It's going to be a very powerful, powerful juxtaposition. Then our May concert, which-- Is it May?

Diane: Yes.

Katie: I'm forgetting the dates. Our May concert, the title is Transatlantic. It's basically songs from kind of both sides of the Atlantic because we are preparing for a trip to Spain and Portugal in July. There will be some tie ins there.

Alison Stewart: Let's hear a couple more tracks from the West Village Chorale. Let's take a listen.

[MUSIC - West Village Chorale: Joy to the World]

Joy to the world the Lord is come

Let earth receive her king

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and Heaven and nature sing

Joy to the world the savior reigns

Let men their songs employ

While fields and floods rocks hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness

And wonders of His love

And wonders of His love

And wonders, wonders of His love

Alison Stewart: Okay, I'm going to ask you to sing one more, so I can take more pictures and more audio. Are you ready? I think we have time for one more song. I just got a note that says, "Get your butt back in the seat."

[laughter]

[MUSIC - West Village Chorale: The First Noel]

The first Noel the angel did say

Was to certain poor shepherds

In fields as they lay

In fields where they lay tending their sheep,

On a cold winter’s night that was so deep

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel

They looked up and saw a star

Shining in the east, beyond them far

And to the earth it gave great light,

And so it continued both day and night

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel

And by the light of that same star

Three wise men came from country far

To seek for a king was their intent,

And to follow the star wherever it went

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel