Gracias Choir is holding a nationwide Christmas tour through Dec. 23. Under the title of “Christmas Cantata,” the choir will hold a total of 43 concerts in 19 cities, including concerts at KBS Hall in Seoul from Dec. 21-23.

Leading the choir is its principal conductor Boris Abalyan, who is also a professor of Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory. 

The “Christmas Cantata” program comprises three different parts: an opera featuring the birth of Jesus; a musical adaptation of O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” and the choir’s Christmas choral repertoire.

Gracias Choir will perform songs from Handel’s “Messiah,” including “For Unto Us a Child is Born,” “Glory to God in the Highest” and “Hallelujah.”

Proceeds from the choir’s latest tour in Korea will be used for its future charity concerts in countries like Kenya and Zambia in Africa, the choir said.

Gracias Choir, founded in 2000, has toured internationally, performing at prestigious venues, such as the Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House, where it performed in 2017 and 2008, respectively.

This year, the choir performed in 25 North American cities and 20 other cities around the world, including St. Petersburg in Russian, Kiev in Ukraine and La Plata in Argentina.

The choir has won several international awards, including the top prize at the International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf in 2015 and the first prize at the Montreux Choral Festival, Switzerland.

The concert schedule is available on the choir’s official website, http://graciascantata.com

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)