They sing and ring their hearts out
A Circle of Friends choirs have not only gotten larger in number, but also better in skill.
The talents of the Circle of Friends choirs will be on display at five concerts this month, which will each feature the singers, musicians and handbell players who make up the musical group.
A Circle of Friends began in 2009 and has been hosting concerts almost every holiday season since, each benefiting a local organization. The shows this year are Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Dec. 13 and 14, and they will feature secular and sacred music, according to the group’s creative director, David English.
The choir is joined by a string section, brass, keyboard, guitar and bass. But English said the handbell choir is one of the most impressive aspects of A Circle of Friends, because its members perform music some handbell groups would probably not dare take on.
“I can't say enough good about them, and they work very diligently to get these concerts prepared,” English said. “This group is performing at a very high level, and I'm very proud of the progress. They play very advanced music.”
Carol Heckert, a member of A Circle of Friends, said there are about 50 members now — a number that has almost doubled since 2022. She said the group performs songs everyone can enjoy.
“We start off with the fun, ‘Ho ho ho,’ and at the end we end with the classic Christmas songs,” Heckert said. “We memorized all our music, so we don't hold it in our hands.”
A Circle of Friends performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14 at the Glen Eden Event Center, 231 Dufford Road, Evans City (Forward Township). The concerts are free to attend, and donations made each night will go to a charity chosen by the group.
