Chorus brings Christmas alight for Sequim

Published 1:30 pm Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Singing with the Sequim Community Christmas Chorus since 2012, Kyra Humphrey finds that singing sacred songs together brings the joy of Christmas alight.

“It reminds us of the joy that comes along with the message of Jesus and what he came to do, the love for each other … It’s the time of year that everyone sees we are walking together and not looking down at each other, but lifting each other up,” Humphrey, also a long-time Christmas Chorus board member, said.

“We remember his birth and what it meant about bringing joy to the world.”

For the 38th year, a group of community members of varying musical and faith backgrounds have come together to form the Sequim Community Christmas Chorus performing “The Ages of Christmas” concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, and 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 6-7 at Sequim Seventh-day Adventist Church, 30 Sanford Lane.

Donations are accepted for the 250 tickets available for each approximate 75-minute performance, with all proceeds above cost given to Sequim’s H.U.M.A.N (Having Understanding Means Acting Now), a community service organization.

Each year a different non-profit is chosen.

Humphrey said they chose H.U.M.A.N this year because “they see a need and address it when they see it, not just by a donation but by helping people change their lives. It has to do with lifting people out of poverty. It’s the hands-on caring that we really wanted to support.”

Audience members are also encouraged to bring a donation of non-perishable food items for the Sequim Food Bank.

For the third year in a row, Steven Humphrey serves as music director and Mark Johnson as pianist, to guide the group of 46 enthusiastic singers, some of whom have never sung with a choir before.

“It’s completely open for anyone who wants to sing,” Kyra Humphrey said. “Even if you think you can’t sing but you wanna sing, come and try it out.”

At least 15 of the singers are new to the chorus this year, like Skylar Fieldler, who said that it is her first time singing in a choir. “

My uncle was a part of it last year,” she said. “It’s very nice singing with everyone.”

In contrast, Judith Newman said she’s been singing in Christmas performances most of her life.

“I’m addicted to it,” she said.

Newman said that for her it started in boarding school in New York City when “every day, everyone in the whole school sang together.”

Board members said there is a range of singing ability and experience from tone-deaf to professional; but under Steven Humphrey’s guidance they have blossomed.

“Steven spends all summer preparing teaching tracts for each part so people can go online and listen to their part and practice,” said Kyra Humphrey, his wife.

He also delved deep into the history of Christmas music, as detailed in the concert’s program.

Each year the concert has a different theme but always centered on sacred music. This year, the 20 songs are pulled from 11 centuries of music that celebrates the nativity of Jesus Christ and includes three carols for piano four hands, played by Humphrey and Johnson without vocal accompaniment, and three audience singalongs.

Songs include “O Magnum Mysterium,” “Do You Hear What I Hear,” and “The Sussex Carol,” arranged by Steven Humphrey.

Four more instrumentalists lend their talents to the endeavor: Marge Rosen, percussion; Case Schmidt, violin; Ryan Edinger, organ; and John Zeurner, alto saxophone and oboe.

The welcome invitation and a reading will be given by a different church leader each day with Pastor Cristian Bobocea of Sequim Seventh-day Adventist Church on Friday, Bishop Kendal Wake of the Sequim Bay Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, and Pastor Steven Devine of The Little Brown Church of Blyn on Sunday.

Bobocea also sings with the choir.

“It’s good, I like it. It’s easy to come sing, it’s harder to organize it,” he said, referring to the efforts of the six member volunteer board, which begins planning for the current year’s concert in March.

Weekly rehearsal begins in September, and at that time all community members who find joy in singing are welcomed to participate in the annual tradition with no audition necessary.

“Finding these people who just wanted to sing reminds us of the joy of being on this planet and singing about Jesus,” Kyra Humphrey said. “We want to make sure everyone is welcome.”

“It’s a fun group,” said board secretary Irene Marble, who has participated for a total of five years because she likes to sing. “Nobody is taking it so seriously that it’s not fun.”