Since the Depression, Chorus North Shore has provided cheer
In 1931, the Sandy Bay Historical Society in Rockport asked several local choirs to perform a Christmas concert together, aimed at uplifting the town during the Depression.
Chorus North Shore was formed and has been performing ever since. This is the group’s 80th year, and Sonja Dahlgren Pryor’s 50th year as artistic director.
The 130-member chorus presents Handel’s “Messiah’’ Saturday in Ipswich and next Sunday in Danvers. The singers are joined by soloists Andrea Matthews, soprano; Ray Bauwens, tenor; John Whittlesley, bass; the Honors Youth Choir; and the Festival Orchestra.
Performances are 8 p.m. Saturday in Our Lady of Hope Church in Ipswich and 3 p.m. next Sunday in St. Mary’s Church in Danvers. Tickets are $20; $17 students and senior citizens; free for children 12 and younger. Call 978-525-4831 or visit chorusnorthshore.org.
CLASSIC CHRISTMAS: The Paul Madore Chorale presents A Classic Christmas at the First Church Congregational in Swampscott next Sunday.
The concert includes three major works: “Magnificat’’ by Mark Hayes; “Gloria’’ by Francis Poulenc, and “Gloria’’ by Randol Alan Bass. Traditional Christmas music and sing-a-long carols are also on the program. Soprano Danielle Vayenas (pictured on flier) is featured soloist.
Hayes is a new American composer who spent his first years arranging traditional church music. His “Magnificat’’ is an original composition. The concert continues with “Gloria’’ by Poulenc, a French composer. This is one of his most celebrated works and was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The final work is the Bass “Gloria,’’ which has become a regular part of the Boston Symphony Pops Christmas programs.
The Paul Madore Chorale has been performing since 1966. Its music director is Paul Madore and its principal accompanist is pianist Jeffrey Brody. Based in Salem, it has a membership of approximately 60 singers from 15 area communities.
The performance begins at 3 p.m. Tickets are $22; $18 for seniors citizens and students ages 18 and younger. Call 781-592-7284 or 978-774-7981 or visit paulmadorechorale.org.
HOLIDAY DANCING: The Joppa Dancers present “Gift of the Magi and Other Stories’’ at the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport, Friday through next Sunday.
The program includes favorite holiday stories and poems, such as “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’’ by Robert Frost, as interpreted through dance.
Dancers of all ages perform a variety of styles including ballet, modern, and contemporary.
Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets are $14; $12 for students, senior citizens, and Firehouse members. Call 978-462-7336 or visit firehouse.org.
AUTHOR’S CORNER: Folk artist and children’s storybook author Will Moses signs his new book, “Mary and Her Little Lamb,’’ and an illustrated adaptation of “The Night Before Christmas,’’ from 1 to 4 p.m. today at Smolak Farms in North Andover. . . . A book launch of “On Opposite Tacks: When Artist John Sloan & Capt. Solomon Jacobs Crossed Wakes in Wartime Gloucester,’’ by local author Chester Brigham, is at 3 p.m. Saturday in Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester. There will be a slide presentation, book signing, and reception.
IN LOCAL GALLERIES: An exhibit of little pieces of art - 8-by-8 inches or smaller - is at Time & Tide Fine Art in Ipswich through Jan. 4. The works, all produced by local artists, lean toward nontraditional styles and subjects. Collage and mixed-media pieces are displayed alongside pastels, watercolors, photographs, abstract images, and landscapes. Some pieces are small enough to hang on a tree as ornaments. Accentuating the small works are four large pieces by other local artists: John Geesink, Priscilla Serafin, Kristina Brendel, and Judy Metcalfe. . . . The Newburyport Art Association holds its annual members holiday art show and sale through Dec. 24. The sale includes a variety of affordable art by the association’s members, including paintings, drawings, photographs, fine crafts, ceramics, sculpture, and jewelry. It also includes works created by artists participating in a collaborative program between the association and Opportunity Works Inc., a nonprofit committed to enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities. Items include jewelry, cards, and pillows. A reception is 6 to 9 p.m. Friday.
Items can be sent to wdkilleen@gmail.com. 
