The Jamestown High School A Cappella Choir will present its 100th annual A Cappella Vespers on Sunday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 14, at 4 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, 120 Chandler St. Alumni registration continues to also be underway for the 100th Anniversary Alumni Vespers service scheduled on the 14th. Registration can be accessed by visiting jpsny.org/acappella.

The Jamestown High School A Cappella Choir will present its 100th annual A Cappella Vespers on Sunday and Saturday, Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, 120 Chandler St.

Admission is free and a good-will offering will be taken.

Established by the ensemble’s founder, Ebba Goranson, in 1924, the Vespers are sacred music concerts performed each December at First Lutheran Church, featuring excerpts from major choral works and seasonal songs and carols to help provide a bit of cheer during the holiday season.

“The choir has been very busy preparing for this upcoming Vespers season,” said Director Lauren Scharf. “We have close to 15 performances in and around the community including our Alumni Vespers performance on Saturday, December 14th which already has over 300 registered alumni! You can expect to hear some familiar songs and some new ones. We are especially excited to sing excerpts from Handel’s Messiah alongside the alumni choir. Other choir favorites include ‘Lux Aurumque’ and ‘Carol of the Bells.'”

The 58-voice A Cappella Choir features smaller ensembles, including the Madrigal Singers, Men of Tomorrow and Ladies of Today. The choir will be accompanied on the piano by Julie Livengood and on the organ by Brian A. Bogey, the choir’s director emeritus and additional organ accompaniment from Gail Espinoza. Bogey and fellow director emeritus Norman D. Lydell, the choir’s director from 2003 to 2020, will also conduct the choir during the Dec. 14 alumni performance. The Madrigal Singers are also sche,duled to perform at a number of holiday events across the Jamestown community.

Alumni registration continues to also be underway for the 100th Anniversary Alumni Vespers service scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. at First Lutheran Church. Registration can be accessed by visiting the “Alumni Relations” section of the choir’s new website at jpsny.org/acappella or by visiting the A Cappella Choir’s Facebook page.

Traditionally held on a Sunday, the alumni celebration was moved to Saturday, Dec. 14. to accommodate alumni traveling from outside of Jamestown.

“We are looking forward to building a bridge between the alumni and current members of the choir”, said Scharf. “It’s incredible to see the influx of registrations come in and realize the importance this choir has had on so many people across the years.”

Choral music education has enjoyed a long, rich tradition at Jamestown High School. Goranson directed the choir from 1924 until her passing in 1957. Donald B. Bubé served as choral director from 1958-1981. Bogey became the first alumnus of the choir to hold the director’s position in 1982 and, since his retirement in 2003, he continues to support the efforts of the A Cappella through friendship, counsel, and as organist. From 2003 to 2020, Lydell served as director and continues to provide counsel to and support to the choir in many ways.

Through its travels across the country and globe, the choir is known as the “Choir of Cathedrals.” Venues have included, among many others, the National Shrine Basilica and National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C; New York City’s famed Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, and Saint John the Divine Cathedral; Boston’s Old North Church, St. Michael’s R.C. Cathedral in Toronto, Canada; and St. Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna, (home of the Vienna Boys Choir).

The choir also has participated in several master classes at prestigious universities and has performed at a number of professional sporting events and historical sites. In December of 2009, the Madrigal Singers performed with recording artist Kenny Rogers and in December of 2015, the choir performed with acclaimed performing artist Jim Brickman. The choir has also performed at Walt Disney World twice: at Disney Springs in 2014 and in EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional, narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin, in 2019. In 2023, the Madrigal Singers performed with Buffalo-based theater organization, Starring Buffalo, in a production of “Sister Act: The Musical.”