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Moscow's Favorite Christmas Concerts

The International Choir always performs their Christmas program to packed audiences. Courtesy of MIC

One of the highlights of the holiday season in the Russian capital is the Moscow International Choir concert of classical and popular Christmas music.

This year the choir will perform choral pieces from Handel’s “Messiah,” accompanied by an orchestra made up of some of Moscow’s finest musicians.

The second half of the program is a mix of traditional and contemporary carols guaranteed to get you into a holiday spirit.

The choir was founded over 15 years ago to give amateur singers in Moscow an opportunity to sing together ­— and get to know each other. The very international group includes Russians, Americans, Dutch, Danish, German, French and British expats, although it is constantly changing as people leave Moscow for other diplomatic or job postings and new singers arrive.

Since 2002, the choir has been conducted by Sergei Sidorenko, a graduate of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory who studied at the Bolshoi Theater.

In keeping with the mission statement of the choir and the spirit of George Frederic Handel, who held annual charity performances of the Messiah to support London’s Foundling Hospital, all profits from the concerts are donated to Russian charitable organizations.

Three concerts will be held at 7:30 p.m. in St. Andrew’s Anglican Church on Dec. 12, 15, and 18. Tickets are 550 rubles, and are best reserved in advance through moscow.international.choir@gmail.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the door, but the Friday evening concert, this year on Dec. 15, is usually packed.

8 Voznesensky Pereulok. Metro Tverskaya, Teatralnaya. moscow-international-choir.com/component/content/?view=featured

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