Celebrate the true spirit of Christmas. Calvary Baptist Church 1600 Harvey St. in McAllen will present the Christmas cantata, “Behold, A Savior!” featuring a 30-member choir with piano and orchestra under the direction of Dr. Bill O’Neil. The concerts will be on Friday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 13 at 3:30 p.m.
Dr. O’Neil is in his third year as Calvary Choir director and brings decades of musical experience to the choir. He has been on faculty at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley/UT Pan American as professor of clarinet since 1992. He is currently co-principal clarinetist with the Valley Symphony Orchestra. Bill grew up in Winnipeg and is delighted to live in the RGV.
Last year he said it was fun to learn new music and nothing’s better than celebrating the birth of our Lord. Last year they performed How Should a King Come, and the year before they learned the history of the Christmas Carols they sang.
“It’s rewarding to see how week by week, we come together to form the music doing fun things and bringing it all together to form this cantata,” he said.
Dr. Daniel Cather will accompany on piano, as he has done for the past 11 years of service as a Worship Leader at Calvary Baptist Church. He has been Chair of the Music Department at South Texas College and assistant professor of music since 2008. Several other professional musicians will complete the orchestra at the presentations.
The Calvary Choir has been an integral part of worship in the church for over sixty years. Today’s choir continues that tradition with heartfelt love for God and singing to His glory. The choir sings every Sunday, directed by Bill O’Neil and accompanied by Dan Cather at the 9:30 a.m. service.
Some of the performers have been with the choir or orchestra for many years. A few of them have been with the group for over 15 years.
The concerts are free, and the public is cordially invited to attend. Join them for this highly anticipated annual event and let your heart be lifted and filled with joy at the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. For more information, contact Calvary Baptist Church at (956) 686-4364.
