The CSU Channel Islands Choir will welcome the 2013 holiday season with two public performances. The first concert will be held Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m., at St. Columba's Episcopal Church, 1251 Las Posas Rd., in Camarillo. The performance is free, however, a $20 minimum donation to help support Channel Islands Choral Association’s musical education programs in Ventura County is suggested.

Another concert will be held on the CI campus Monday, Dec. 2, at 7:30, in Malibu Hall. Admission is free for students, faculty and staff. Community members are welcome. Parking is $6 per car, with the purchase of a daily permit. Free will donations are welcome.

The 60-member campus/community choir will perform Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols as part of the worldwide “Britten 100” celebration commemorating the celebrated British composer’s birth in 1913. The 11-movement choral piece was written specifically for Christmas, and includes songs in Old English. The program will also feature a selection of songs in French, German, Spanish, and Hebrew, as well as songs arranged by choir members themselves.

Harpist Allison Allport, a regular performer with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony, and the Long Beach Opera, will join the choir for the performances. Allport holds a doctorate in music from USC. Her harp music is featured on many albums and movie soundtracks, including The Muppets: The Green Album, Planes, Tinkerbell: Secret of the Wings, The Book Thief, and Cars.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the CSU Channel Islands Choir is a diverse singing group open to members of the campus and community. Led by Dr. KuanFen Liu, the choir meets weekly as a class in the University’s Performing Arts Program. It offers participants exposure to a wide range of musical genres and periods, as well as the opportunity to perform publicly on campus and throughout Ventura County. The next auditions for the choir will take place in January 2014. To learn more, visit the choir’s website at http://choir.csuci.edu.

Channel Islands Choral Association (CICA) is the choir’s sponsor. CICA is a 501(c)(3) organization that serves Ventura County, bringing music education and performance to the local schools and community. For more information, visit the CICA website at www.cicachoir.org or contact Nina Ruhland at 805-914-4589 or egruhland@aol.com.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.