SO Rep Singers to Make Holly Theater Debut with Holiday Concert
By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times
The sonorous sound of the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers will fill the halls of the recently-reopened Holly Theatre in Medford as the choral group is set to bring holiday zeal to the audience within the 1,000-plus seat venue. Celebrating its 40th year, SO Rep Singers will perform a variety of pieces during their annual holiday concert such as “A Ceremony of Carols,” by Benjamin Britten, “The Christmas Life,” by Lucy Walker and more. Grants Pass High School choir students will join in for Craig Hella Johnson‘s “I Love You/What a Wonderful World,” and SO Rep Singer’s Composer in Residence Jodi French’s arrangement of “Auld Lang Syne.”
“We’re really excited,” said Paul French, longtime music director for the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers. The concert is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, at the Holly Theatre, 226 W. Sixth St. in Medford; doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $5 to $45 and can be purchased at hollytheatre.org.
The Repertory Singers will also offer performances of their holiday concert at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20-21 at the Music Recital Hall, 450 S. Mountain Ave., on the Southern Oregon University campus in Ashland. For more information on the Ashland concerts and to purchase tickets, visit repsingers.org/tickets. The concert is set to be the largest performance of all time for SO Rep Singers in terms of attendance as well as being the group’s debut at the Holly Theatre.
“It was a little scary if we only had 100 people come, but we already (had) around 700 tickets sold before Thanksgiving,” Paul French said. “If it keeps selling that way, we might sell out the Holly.”
The program will include select choral works, seasonal carols, traditional classics, and a commissioned premiere setting of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” by Repertory Singers’ Composer in Residence, Jodi French.
“I think very hard about the audience when I program and what people want to really hear,” Paul French said. “Since the pandemic, I’ve made an effort to program music that’s hopeful, music that directly reaches people. Times are hard and we look around and hear about negative things in the world, but to have a moment of beauty and to transform and inspire, that’s always my goal.”
“We’re doing a new version of ‘Silent Night,’” Paul French said, adding that he preferred this new arrangement by Peter Anglea more than the original.
The concert will also include an arrangement by Jodi French of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which was originally written for the film “Meet Me in St. Louis.”
“It was written during WWII when families were separated and there was a lot of unease in the world … the piece of music speaks to this and the hope we have amidst difficult times,” Paul French said.
For the long-time music director, seeing the SO Rep Singers go from a small group of 20 singers with zero budget to a prestigious, crowd-drawing powerhouse in the Rogue Valley has been an important part of his life’s work.
“It’s huge, it’s beyond my wildest dreams … I remember for the first fundraiser a person gave $25 and that’s where it started … this year, we have a $500,000 budget and works of composers across the world,” Paul French said.
A focus for SO Rep Singers leadership with the choral group is expanding its reach across Southern Oregon and out to places like Grants Pass.
“It’s great that there’s such support for what we do and the Rogue Valley is a wonderful place to live,” Paul French said. “Here in this beautiful location there’s such an interest in supporting art, music and theater.”
At each of its three concerts, SO Rep Singers will host a food drive in partnership with ACCESS and Harry & David to help community members in need during the holiday season.
Concert-goers are encouraged to donate non-perishable foods and/or funds. Each item donated earns participants a raffle ticket for a chance to win a Harry & David gift basket.
To learn more about the Repertory Singers, get more information on upcoming concerts and more, visit repsingers.org.
Original article: https://rv-times.com/2025/12/08/southern-oregon-repertory-singers-make-holly-theatre-debut-with-holiday-themed-concert