The Muskegon Chamber Choir and its soloists will present its annual “Wreath of Carols” on Saturday evening, December 14 at 7 p.m. in Grand Haven’s First Presbyterian Church, 520 1/2 Franklin. This year, the choir will be joined by Embellish, an outstanding handbell choir from Grand Rapids under the direction of Stephanie Wiltse.

As is traditional for the Wreath of Carols, the concert will be in the collage format, moving from one musical selection to the next without pause. A variety of selections by choir, handbell choir, and soloists will cover six centuries of music for the Advent, Christmas and Epiphany seasons.

Embellish is a community ensemble representing the greater Grand Rapids area, and was founded in the fall of 1995 to be a professional level group that promotes the art of handbell ringing by providing a high quality musical experience for diverse audiences. Yearly auditions are held for all positions in the fifteen-member ensemble. Embellish rings a total of over 130 bells and chimes. Fully loaded, their equipment trailer weighs over 2400 pounds. They literally have a “ton” of bells.

The Muskegon Chamber Choir was formed by its present conductor in 1963 and gave its first concert in April of 1964. Founded as a sixteen member group that specialized in Renaissance and Baroque music, it has expanded over the years to allow a wider range of repertoire. It has presented many choral/orchestral works and has collaborated with the West Michigan Symphony in many concerts. In 1988, the choir was selected to sing in Carnegie Hall under the young American conductor, Michael Morgan. Local members of the choir include Carol Alman of Fruitport.

The concert is free and open to the public. The church is accessible to the mobility impaired.

For more information, call (231) 780-9361 or visit muskegonchamberchoir.com.•