Youth choirs take holiday audiences on international tours.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Two Eugene choral organizations specializing in youthful singers - Oregon Festival Choirs and Oregon Children's Choir Association - will roll out the holiday hits in separate concerts today.

Five choirs under the Oregon Festival Choirs umbrella will sing "Words of Celebration: A Holiday Concert" at 3 p.m. at the Central Lutheran Church, 1857 Potter St. Admission is $5 for general admission, $3 for students and seniors (free for children 5 and under).

Peter Robb will conduct two boychoirs, Fiero and Allegro; a young men's ensemble, Forza; and two girlchoirs, Lyrica and Cantilena. The choirs will be accompanied by Alex Kelly, cello; Jane Allen, harp; Roberta Smythe, recorder; and Joel Skinner, piano.

The combined choirs will sing Guillaume DuFay's "Gloria," Georg Philipp Telemann's "Alleluia, Alleluia," the traditional Latin music "Dona Nobis Pacem" and the traditional Hebrew folk song "Shalom."

Lyrica will sing "Mid-winter" by Christina Rossetti and Bob Chilcott and the traditional Hebrew song "Hinei ma Tov (Psalm 133:1)," and then join Fiero to sing Giacomo Antonio Perti's "Gloria in Excelsis" and then join Cantilena to sing the Hebrew folk song "Haida, Haida."

Fiera and Forza together will sing "Psalm 92: Mizmor Shir L'yom Hashabat" and selections from Antonio Vivaldi's "Magnificat."

By itself, Forza will sing "Silent Night," the Irish song "Minstrel Boy" and the Spanish carol "Riu, Riu, Chiu," and will join Fiero and Allegro on Melchior Franck's "Da Pacem Domine."

In addition, the audience will be invited to join the choirs in singing "O Hanukkah," "Ding Dong! Merrily on High" and "Deck the Halls."

The Oregon Children's Choir's 20th annual "Holiday Songs, Near and Far" concert will be at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Beall Concert Hall at the University of Oregon School of Music, 961 E. 18th Ave.

Some 220 young singers, distributed in seven choirs, will sing music of master and contemporary composers as well as folk songs of many cultures. Three of the choirs will sing at the matinee, four at the evening concert.

Performing in the afternoon will be the Prelude Choir conducted by Suzanne Light, the Junior Boychoir conducted by Kathleen Jacobi-Karna and the Junior Girlchoir with Randall Moore. They will sing "We Need a Little Christmas," "Still, Still, Still," "The Holly and the Ivy" and other American, English, Ethiopian and Israeli compositions and carols.

The evening concert will feature the Oregon Girlchoir conducted by Jennifer Searl, the Oregon Boychoir conducted by David Fitch, the Young Women's Choir conducted by Paul Westlund and the Young Men's Ensemble conducted by Duane Karna.

Among the works to be sung in the evening are seasonal favorites "White Christmas," "Sleigh Ride," "Carol of the Bells" and "Ding Dong Merrily on High," as well as music by Georg Fredrich Handel and Eugene composer Audrey Snyder.

Tickets, $7 for students and seniors and $9 for adults, will be sold at the door.