The 180-voice Hanover Community Singers, under the direction of Scott G. Fredericks with accompanist, Karen Buckwalter will present their Christmas Concerts on Sat. Dec. 6 at 1:00pm, Sun. Dec. 7 at 3:00, and on Monday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 pm at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 30 W. Chestnut St. Hanover. Free tickets are required. A free-will offering will be taken. Doors open thirty minutes before the performance.

Free tickets are required for admission to the concerts. Mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Hanover Community Singers, P.O. Box 1305, Hanover, Pa. 17331. State how many tickets you desire and for which performance dates. List all the performances you can attend in the event your first choice is not available. St. Matthew Church will not have tickets for distribution.

The ticket request deadline is Nov. 12. Tickets will be mailed out on Nov. 17.

The program will offer Christmas favorites including: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, “Sweet Little Jesus Boy”, “The Snow Lay on the Ground”, “The Friendly Beasts”,  “Go Tell It on the Mountain”, “We Need a Little Christmas”, and several festive carol medleys, among others.  There will be a special song, “The Work of Christmas Begins” dedicated in memory of Jerry Groft- a loyal member of the Singers who passed away this year.

Each year the Community Singers offer concerts at Christmas and in the spring. The membership is limited to 180 singers. The singers rehearse six times before a concert. Concerts have included sacred music, patriotic events, a concert in the Christmas Pageant of Peace on the grounds of the White House, Pops concerts, a program with guest pianist Dr. Anthony Pattin and a remarkable series of concerts with composer/conductor/pianist Joseph Martin and soloist, Sue Martin. Many concerts are accompanied by full orchestra or various instrumental groups including brass ensembles, handbells, and woodwinds.

The Hanover Community Singers open their extensive music library of hundreds of titles to all churches in the Hanover area. Many churches with limited budgets borrow copies of our music to save having to purchase the music. This enables their parish ministry dollars to go further.

As another way to bring the joy, beauty and unity of music to our community the Singers ask their audience members to bring canned goods to assist our local Red Cross Food Pantry. A van from the Red Cross is located at the church doors at every concert to receive donations. Over the years the Hanover Community Singer audiences have given nearly 35,000 cans of food to our local needy.