Williamsport is fortunate to have such varied musical groups to help ring in the holidays. The Williamsport Flute Choir will present their holiday concerts at 2 pm on December 14 in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church at 604 Market Street, Williamsport. The concert will feature the flute choir and several musical guests, vocalists, and friends and is under the direction of Rick Coulter.

The Williamsport Flute Choir has been making music for several years. The group performs challenging pieces adapted from other great works and others written specifically for flute choirs. The unique instrumentation of the group is surprising to many first-time theatre goers, who may have no idea that multiple types of flutes exist. Most people know of the standard C-Flute and piccolo, but Williamsport’s group also features several alto and bass flutes, giving the ensemble a full-bodied sound.

The year’s Christmas concert will feature some talented guests including percussionists Kathie and Mike Mitchell, Beveryly Schmidt on piano, Karl Ivers on guitar, Conrad Mailleue on string bass, and Jack Schmidt narrating a full telling of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Shelia Hornberger, a founder of the group, returns with friend Alex Burnette playing bass and contrabass flutes. The contrabass flute is rarely seen in the area, is played standing up, and is twice the size of a bassoon.

Peggy Morehart has been with the group since its inception. She says they are constantly challenging themselves with their musical choices and have developed into a joyful project over the years.

“Every holiday concert in unique and this one adds old favorites with current tunes for all ages to enjoy,” says Morehart.

Michele Mach has been a member for 5 years. Having learned to play the flute in a public school band program, she continued playing as a church musician for many decades.

“Participation in the Williamsport Flute Choir is pure joy!” she says. “I love being challenged by more experienced players and have improved my skills by hanging around with this fun an talented group of ladies,” says Mach. “I’m really looking forward to our rendition of ‘Christmastime is Here’ from ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ and ‘Mary Did You Know?’ and the fun ‘Mele Kalikimaka.’”

The Flute Choir is excited to be performing in the sanctuary of beautiful First Church in Williamsport. First Church is located at the juncture of Packer and Market Streets in Williamsport. The concert is FREE and open to the public, although donations are always accepted and appreciated. Fill you Saturday with song with an afternoon of magical music from the Williamsport Flute Choir on December 14.