The holiday season draws us together—around traditions, memories, and the people who give our lives meaning. Tonight’s concert, A Family Christmas, is crafted in that same spirit of gathering: an evening meant to feel like coming home to a house filled with laughter, music, and the joyful anticipation unique to this time of year. The Southern California Master Chorale welcomes you into a celebration shaped by the warmth of family, the wonder of childhood, and the simple happiness that music brings to every generation.

You’ll hear melodies tonight that summon the excitement of childhood Christmas mornings, like Carol of the Bells or Sleigh Ride; or the charming Walking in the Air from the animated film The Snowman. Others offer quieter reflections filled with gratitude and peace, like A Christmas Lullaby, Carol of the Drum, or Dan Forrest’s beautiful setting of The First Noel—and hopefully you’ll hear a few new favorites as well! You’ll also hear famous Christmas-themed songs from the Broadway stage to the very tongue-in-cheek Christmas Goes Classical (in fact, we invite you to count how many parodies are in this one!). And, of course, generational favorites like The Christmas Song and White Christmas. And our famous sing-along moments invite you to join your voice with ours, celebrating the timeless truth that Christmas music belongs to everyone.

Through everything we sing, we hope to provide joy. We attempt to remind each other—and you—that the season’s greatest gifts are not wrapped in paper but shared through moments: singing together, remembering together, and experiencing beauty side by side. From our SCMC family to yours, may this concert fill your heart with light, lift your spirit with joy, and bring warmth that lasts long after the final notes fade.

Christmas on Broadway

arr. John Higgins

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, arr. Mark Hayes

Carol of the Drum

Katherine K. Davis

The First Noel

English Carol, arr. Dan Forrest

I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Walter Kent, arr. by Trousdale

‘Til the Season Comes ‘Round Again

Randy Goodrum and John Barlow Jarvis

The Christmas Song

Mel Torme and Robert Wells, arr. Ed Lojeski

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne, arr. Harry Simeone

Jingle Bells

James Pierpont

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

English Carol

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Haven Gillespie and J. Fred Coots, arr. Mark Hanson, trans. Michael LeDoux

Christmas Goes Classical

Various Composers, arr. David Maddux

A Christmas Lullaby

Traditional Welsh, arr. Marianne Forman

Walking in the Air

Howard Blake

Away in a Manger

arr. Mark Hayes

Gesu Bambino

Pietro Yon

O Come All Ye Faithful

arr. David Willcocks

Silent Night

Franz Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber, arr. Carl Relnecke, trans. John Freean Young

Joy to the World

George Frideric Handel

Carol of the Bells

Peter J. Wilhousky and Mykola Leontovich, arr. Peter J. Wilhousky

Sleigh Ride

Mitchell Parish and LeRoy Anderson, arr. Hawley Ades

White Christmas

Irving Berlin, arr. Roy Ringwald

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Traditional English, arr. Alice Parker