Season of holiday music

Dan Earl will lead the Santa Rosa Symphonic Chorus this weekend at the Glaser Center.

What captures the Christmas spirit better than a holiday choral concert? At the newly opened Green Music Center, the rafters will reverberate this weekend with two top-notch choral concerts: Renaissance music by the Tallis Scholars, and Handel’s “Messiah,” performed by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale.

But that’s not the only fresh addition to the Christmas choral-concert scene. To honor the Grinches in the holiday crowd, the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa has launched a new tradition this year: a Blues Christmas service on Dec. 15 that will guarantee that no one has to sing the blues alone.

You missed the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, which always delivers an upbeat, energetic show guaranteed to make people grin. But if you’re still looking to lift your spirits this year with a “fa-la-la” or a “Hallelujah” chorus, here’s a selection of some of Sonoma County’s best concerts featuring voices:

Peter Phillips directs the Tallis Scholars in a concert of Renaissance music, including Christmas pieces, at 8 p.m. Saturday (12/8) at Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center in Rohnert Park. England’s “rock stars of Renaissance vocal music” blend a purity of sound with expressive phrasing. Tickets: $20-$70. (866) 955-6040 or gmc.sonoma.edu.

Masaaki Suzuki leads the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale at 3 p.m. Sunday (12/9) in a performance of Handel’s beloved “Messiah” at the Green Music Center. Tickets are $35-$90. (866) 955-6040.

Under the direction of Sarah Saulsbury, the Occidental Community Choir marks the winter season this weekend with “Around This Table,” an eclectic selection of home-cooked favorites ranging from Woody Guthrie to “Hanukkah Gospel.” Concerts will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday (12/8) and 3 p.m. Sunday (12/9) at the Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Court. Tickets are $15 general, $13 seniors, kids 12 and under free. occidentalchoir.org or at the door.

The Santa Rosa Symphonic Chorus led by Dan Earl will present two Christmas concerts this weekend at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa. The program features a staged version of Giancarlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s “Magnificat.” The concerts will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday (12/8) and 3 p.m. Sunday (12/9), with a preview dress rehearsal at 7:30 Friday (12/7). Concert tickets are $15. Dress rehearsal tickets are $10. santarosasymphonicchorus.com.

The Healdsburg Chorus directed by Betty Zukov presents “Tis the Season,” a concert of holiday favorites, at 3 p.m. Sunday (12/9) and 7 p.m. Monday (12/10) at the Healdsburg Community Church, 1100 University Ave. Tickets are $15. healdsburgchorus.com. The chorus requests a donation of a new pair of clean socks for people in need.

The Santa Rosa Symphony joins forces with the Sonoma Bach Choir and five soloists at 3 p.m. Dec. 15 to present Bach’s sacred magnum opus, the Mass in B Minor, at the Green Music Center in Rohnert Park. Tickets are $20-$40, with parking an additional $10. santarosasymphony.com or 546-8742. The concert will also be given at 8 p.m. Dec. 14 at Old First Church, 1751 Sacramento St., San Francisco. To reserve, call (415) 474-1608 or oldfirstconcerts.org.

The Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa will hold a Blues Christmas Service at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at the church, 550 Mendocino Ave. For more information, go to their Facebook event page, or incarnation-sr.org.

The First Presbyterian Church will present its 29th annual Singing Christmas Tree concert at 4:30 and 7 p.m. Dec. 15 and 16 at the church, on the corner of Pacific Avenue and Elizabeth Way. The production features 100 singers, a 36-piece orchestra and a 14-member bell choir. Early arrival is recommended. fpcsantarosa.org.

It’s not the holidays without a concert by Chanticleer, the all-male, a cappella vocal ensemble, who will present “A Chanticleer Christmas” at 4 and 6 p.m. Dec. 16 at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 15 Liberty Way, Petaluma. Tickets are $35-$65. chanticleer.org.

The Festival Consort, with vocal soloists Carol Menke and Chris Fritzsche, will perform a Renaissance Christmas concert at 3 p.m. Dec. 22 at the Church of the Incarnation, 550 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. Tickets are $15. brownpapertickets.com/event/286999.

You can reach Staff Writer Diane Peterson at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com.