Fred Irwin’s debut concert is a rousing success Vernon - When the Vernon Choral Society raised their voices in the first notes of Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria, a gasp of delight came from the audience, which filled the Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Vernon on Sunday, Dec. 2. It was the debut of new Vernon Choral Society Music Director Fred Irwin, and, as the audience sat in rapt attention, the chorus sang the exquisite twelve-part canticle in near-perfect Latin, moving fluidly between solos and duets sung by sopranos Jennifer Sisco and Sarah Schechner, verses set for the full chorus, and orchestral interludes. “I knew very little about classical music until I started singing with the choral society,” said Vernon Mayor Janet Morrison in an interview a few days before the concert. “This music is gorgeous and I wish more people knew about it.” Eleanore O’Mara on the harpsichord, and violinists Kira Hall and Nicole Green; violist Jonathan MacMillan; cellist Liz Cabrera; bass violinist Lindsay Wade; oboist Teddy Love; and trumpeter Tom Siebenhunner accompanied the choristers. The first verses,” Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will,” are taken from the St. Luke’s account of the angels’ Christmas message to the shepherds in the fields. The Gloria is a song of praise used in the Roman Catholic Mass and, in translation, in the services of many other Christian churches. After a brief intermission, the choristers began the second half of the program, which included carols from Russia, Germany, France, Latin America, Wales, and England, some of them sung a cappella, some accompanied by O’Mara on the piano. The singers had practiced their French and Spanish long and hard, and they sang the foreign words with grace. Here and there members of the audience were observed wiping away a sentimental tear, and people appeared especially touched by the German carol, “Still, still, still,” and the rousing Wassail Song. The concert ended with the audience joining the singers in a joyously tuneful sing-along of the traditional carols, “Joy to the World,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Silent Night.” As people filed out to the reception, they appeared to be glowing. One woman was overheard proclaiming: “What wonderful memories the music brings. Now I feel like Christmas.”