Collegium Musicum to give holiday concert

Kansas University’s Collegium Musicum, directed by Paul Laird, will join with the Shawnee Mission East High School Chamber Singers, conducted by Tracy Resseguie, for a joint concert of seasonal music.

The free performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 4 at First Presbyterian Church, 2415 Clinton Parkway.

The featured work is J. S. Bach’s Cantata No. 80, “Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme,” which is based on the famous chorale usually called “Sleeper’s Awake” in English. The cantata was composed for a Sunday in late November or early December, just before the start of Advent. The central movement of the cantata is one of Bach’s most familiar pieces. The concert also will include other music relevant to the season, such as Arcangelo Corelli’s famous “Christmas Concerto.”

The KU Instrumental Collegium Musicum is a group of a dozen musicians who play on period instruments like those in use during the Baroque period. The Shawnee Mission East Chamber Singers is a small select group of advanced choral musicians.