Sleighbells, church bells, monks, angels, shepherds 鈥� these are some of the joyous sounds that will be reflected in 鈥淎 Christmas Greeting,鈥� presented by the North Island Choral Society.

Artistic director Paul Colthorpe has chosen an eclectic mix of choral and orchestral music that spans four centuries and takes the listener from the Baroque through the Romantic, and on to the 20th century.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fascinating to sing a program with such a diverse set of pieces,鈥� says soprano Jo-Anne Preston. 鈥淓ach one is unique and beautiful, and as a singer, it鈥檚 great to be challenged to sing in such a variety of styles.鈥�

NICS will be joined in this journey by four fine soloists, locals Jennifer Rasor, Sophie Simard and Orlando Wiebe, plus Nanaimo鈥檚 Michael MacKinnon. The oldest work is Antonio Vivaldi鈥檚 Magnificat, a song of praise to God.

Hector Berlioz鈥檚 warm Shepherd鈥檚 Farewell employs sweet harmonies to depict the story of the shepherds saying good-bye to the baby Jesus.

Francis Poulenc鈥檚 Hodie Christus Natus Est is based on a hymn sung by Gregorian monks in the Middle Ages, but with a decidedly contemporary twist!

The most dramatic work is Gerald Finzi鈥檚 In Terra Pax, which tells the story of the angels鈥� appearance to the shepherds, telling them of the birth of the baby Jesus. The baritone soloist is the voice of the narrator, the soprano is the angel, and the choir sings the well- known biblical story. And this 鈥淐hristmas Greeting鈥� is not just about singing. The NICS orchestra will delight the audience with A Musical Sleighride by Leopold Mozart, the father of Wolfgang Amadeus.

鈥淎 Christmas Greeting鈥� will be performed at St. George鈥檚 United Church at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 1, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2. Tickets (cash only) are available at the Blue Heron Books (Comox) and Benjamin Moore House of Colour (Courtenay).