A Note From Our President, BJ Banks

---

UPDATED: August 26, 2025

Dear Friends of the Salina Chorale,

We are excited about our upcoming “Carols of Christmas” 2025 concert, to be performed on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, as a wonderful ending of Thanksgiving Weekend and the start of the holiday season. 

We will again present our Salina Chorale holiday concert, under the direction of Keri Boley and with our new accompanist Gustavo do Cormo, at Sacred Heart Cathedral in downtown Salina, Kansas. Concert time is yet to be determined, but it will be in the late afternoon or the evening. Watch our "Events" page on this website for the details. 

We have an exciting choral program planned, opening with “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (arranged by Elaine Hagenberg), with piano and cello. Then, we will present “Missa Festiva (Festival Mass)” by John Leavitt, featuring chamber orchestra. 

After a brief intermission, we will present a variety of holiday pieces. These include “Fanfare of Christmas Day” by Martin Shaw; “I Wonder as I Wander” by John Jacob Niles;  “Ding Dong Merrily on High” arranged by Mack Wilberg and featuring cathedral music director Preston Sauers on organ; “Rise Up Shepherd and Follow” arranged by Mark Hahn; “Manger of Bethlehem” by Gary A. Cornell, with guitar and clarinet; “12 Days of Christmas” arranged by. John Rutter; “Wexford Carol” arranged by Elaine Hagenberg with chamber orchestra; and “Jingle Bells” also arranged by Mack Wilberg. 

We have new singers this fall, and we welcome more to join with our returning singers. If you’ve sung with us before, please consider coming back. Our fall rehearsals are already underway, every Monday except Labor Day, with a few extra rehearsals before concert day. If you enjoy singing in a choir, consider singing with us. Visit the ”Sing With Us” page on our website for details.  

We appreciate our wonderful sponsors and faithful audience members and hope that you, and those just discovering the Salina Chorale, will be able to attend “Carols of Christmas” 2025 on Sunday, Nov. 30.

We love singing and hope to see you in the audience, where we can share the music we make with you. 

Sincerely,

B. J. Banks, President - Salina Chorale