Free Carols by Candlelight concert marks 7th year
By Margot Thomas
CAROLS by Candlelight which has become an annual Christmas season curtain raiser for thousands of Panamanians, who get the opportunity to join the performers in singing seasonal favorites while raising funds for local institutions, will be returning to the Cinta Costera on December 2 for its 7th free presentation.
Five choirs, each presenting a medley of carols, will be joined by soloist Susan Samudio, soprano, from Opera Panama. She will be freshly back from a European tour, where she in the finals of the Pustina International Vocal Competition.
At the end of each presentation, the candle waving audience is invited to become part of Panama’s biggest choral group and join the on-stage performers in singing a selected carol, with the words available in a bi-lingual souvenir songbook which will be distributed across Panama City throughout November.
You can pick up a copy in selected Farmacias Arrocha Stores, Felipe Motta (Marbella), and Anastasio and Crepes and Waffles.
If you want extra copies for a school, church or community group you can contact the organizers.
The concert is organized by the CanadaPLUS Foundation which arranges events during the year to raise funds for the staging of the concert.
It starts at 7 pm at the Mirador del Pacifico arena at the Fish Market end of the Cinta Costera. It is free to all who want to bring their own stools or blankets or you can opt for a reserved seat nearer the action
Souvenir LED candles are on available for a $5 or $10 donation. (the $10 battery operated candles last up to 50 hours and make great additions to your Christmas decorations).
The performers who donate their time and energy are:
Kings College, directed by Vanessa Whay; El Colegio de Panama, directed by Meryelys Florez; Panagaita, a Venezuelan group, directed by Carlos Canelone; Ministerio Vientos de Esperanza directed by Roberto Rampolla; Grupo Forte Infides, directed by Melquiades Lopez and Susan Samudio, soprano, with Opera Panama
Reserved seating in front of the stage is available at $25 VIP, $20 gold. The reserved seats include a numbered souvenir candle which serves as your ticket.
Tickets for reserved seating go on sale on October 29.
Beneficiaries
In previous years, the Foundation has made donations to Hogar Malambo, Fundacion Calicanto, and Vision of Hope, and has donated equipment to The National Ballet and Hospital Santo Tomas.
This year it is focusing on donating equipment to monitor the hearing of children at Hospital del Nino.
To reserve seats or order candles call 6619- 6890 (English) and 6615-5666 (Spanish) or email carolspanama@gmail .com All orders will be delivered to your home or office in Panama City
some 400 seats are already spoken for, so call early to guarantee prime seating.
Tax-deductible receipts are available on request.
Follow newsroom on Twitter and Facebook, or register for a free email with key stories each morning.
