It’s A Holiday Hoedown For Heartland Men’s Chorus

“So many of us grew up in communities with a strong rural base,” says Dr. Joe Nadeau, artistic director. “I wanted to do a holiday concert that celebrated Christmas in small town America, along with the homey, cozy feelings that suggests.” Audiences will hear a variety of music, including a gospel-style rendition of “Go Tell it on the Mountain,” traditional favorites, like “Over the River and Through the Woods,” and less-familiar selections, such as “The Road Home,” based on an old Shaker tune. One piece Nadeau most looks forward to performing is “The Appalachian Carols,” an arrangement of traditional carols, including “I Wonder as I Wander” and “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree.”

The first act centerpiece will be “Not in Our Town,” a moving and powerful song based on real life events in the town of Billings, Montana. The song tells the story of how residents of Billings responded to an upsurge in hate violence by standing together for a hate-free community. In 1993, hate activities in Billings reached a crescendo: KKK fliers were distributed, the Jewish cemetery was desecrated, the home of a Native American family was painted with swastikas, and a brick was thrown through the window of a six-year-old boy who displayed a Menorah for Hanukkah. Rather than resigning itself to the growing climate of hate, the community took a stand, declaring, “Not in Our Town.”

In the second act of Christmas Down Home, the mood changes, although the “down home” atmosphere continues, as the Chorus kicks up its heels in a one-of-a-kind holiday hoedown. “I don’t want to give away any of the surprises,” Nadeau says, “but it’s going to be outrageous and a lot of fun!” Audiences will be treated to line dancin’, two steppin’ and square dancin’ as HMC goes a little bit country. Songs in the second act include “The Jalapeno Chorus,” “Cowboy Dreidel” and a Kenny Rogers-Dolly Parton-influenced duet, “With Bells On.”

Christmas Down Home features all the elements that have made HMC’s holiday concert an annual must-see tradition for many in the Kansas City region. As in previous years, the Chorus will invite the audience to join in for one number as a sing-along. Another tradition continues as a different “guest conductor” each concert takes the stage to direct a number. To win this honor, attendees at HMC’s Dinner of Note fundraiser may bid for this special opportunity.

HMC’s popular Wine Raffle returns for the holidays as audience members may purchase raffle tickets for $5.00 each, both before the show and during intermission, to win the “Wall of Wine,” a collection of five cases of assorted fine wines. Heartland Men’s Chorus presents Christmas Down Home November 30 and December 1 at 8:00 p.m., and December 2 at 4:00 p.m. -- www.hmckc.org