(6-minute read)
Reading Community Singers pose for a group photo during rehearsal, many in Halloween costume. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Reading Community Singers (RCS) will present its 2026 holiday concert, “Holiday Dreams,” on Saturday, December 5, at 7:30 pm in the Performing Arts Center at Reading Memorial High School. The nonprofit chorus, which marked its 100th anniversary in 2019, is led by co-presidents Liz Witham and Sarah Brukilacchio. The Reading Observer spoke with RCS Artistic Director Beth Mosier ahead of the performance.
A theme that carries forward
This year’s theme isn’t drastically different from last year’s “Hope for the Holidays,” Mosier said, because the world hasn’t changed all that much; if anything, it feels a little more uncertain. The music is new, but the underlying goal is the same: something uplifting and inspirational for singers and audiences alike. “My dream is to bring our diverse singers and our audiences together to raise them up through beautiful and exciting holiday music,” Mosier said of the title. That goal is easier to understand once you consider who’s actually on stage. RCS draws singers ranging from current high school students to residents in their 90s, Mosier said, and she pointed to music as one of the healthiest activities a person can take up at any age, citing the physical benefits of singing and the community connections that help stave off isolation as people get older.
Beth Mosier conducts Reading Community Singers during a Halloween-themed rehearsal. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Building a program from 30 possibilities
Pulling a large group of singers into one cohesive show takes time. Mosier said she spends 50 to 60 hours crafting each concert, starting with a pool of 25 to 30 possible pieces and narrowing them down. This year’s program opens with “That Christmas Morning Feeling,” from the movie Spirited, a modern reimagining of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Which pieces follow isn’t entirely up to Mosier alone. Each year, RCS holds a donor drive, and the top three contributors get to choose a piece for the program, a tradition Mosier said gives members a sense of ownership while helping raise money for the chorus. This year’s top donor pick was an Appalachian carol arrangement of “I Wonder as I Wander.”
Alongside the Christmas selections, the concert will include several Hanukkah pieces: “Hevenu Shalom Aleichem,” a Hebrew piece whose title translates to “the one who makes peace”; “Light One Candle”; and “An Anthem of Strength and Peace.” One of Mosier’s voice students will choreograph and teach an Israeli folk dance to accompany the Hanukkah segment. Rounding out the lineup, guest performers will include the RMHS Select Chorus, invited by Mosier after the high school’s new music director came on board last year, along with members’ children, grandchildren, and other young performers. Mosier said audiences can also expect a surprise appearance from a certain “big belly” guest during the show.
Joe Beninati accompanies Reading Community Singers during rehearsal at Old South United Methodist Church. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
A rehearsal before Halloween
The Reading Observer attended the rehearsal held the week before Halloween, with several members already dressed in costume. The chorus gathered in the pews of the Sanctuary of Old South United Methodist Church, seated by voice part: altos, sopranos, tenors, and basses, with Mosier conducting from a stool at the front of the room and Joe Beninati accompanying on the piano. The group warmed up with rounds of scales, mixing different combinations of sections and varying speed and pitch, before moving into two new songs being prepared for the holiday season, including “That Christmas Morning Feeling.”
Mosier said she typically teaches a new piece one vocal part at a time, starting with the tenors, who she said tend to read music well and help set the rhythm for everyone else, followed by the basses, then the altos, and finally the sopranos, who she said can usually pick up the melody quickly once they’ve heard it a couple of times. For especially fast pieces, like “An Anthem of Strength and Peace,” Mosier said she’ll slow down a recording to help members learn the notes before bringing the tempo back up.
During rehearsal, Mosier frequently paused to adjust timing when certain sections came in, breaking songs into smaller pieces so individual voice parts could be practiced before bringing the full chorus back together. Members appeared comfortable asking her to revisit specific passages, and Mosier offered frequent praise throughout the session.
Chorus members sing during the Reading Community Singers rehearsal. Photo by Sarah Brukilacchio.
A chorus still rebuilding its numbers
That room full of singers reflects a chorus that’s been on the rebound. RCS currently has about 85 singers, up from an estimated 73 last December, and Mosier said it continues to grow. Before the pandemic, in 2019, the chorus had about 100 members; rebuilding that number has been a goal ever since, and many other community choruses didn’t survive the pandemic at all. Mosier, who has led the group for 22 or 23 years, said she grew the chorus early on by bringing in high schoolers, many of whom later returned after college.
The work behind one night on stage
Getting 85 singers on stage and in sync takes more than rehearsal time. Behind each concert is a long list of logistics, Mosier said: coordinating equipment and lighting design with the high school, hiring and rehearsing with the group’s seven-piece band, auditioning and training soloists, arranging publicity materials, and preparing music for additional performance beyond the main concert. That preparation builds through a series of events in the weeks surrounding the concert. The group traditionally kicks off the season with outdoor caroling at the Tree Lighting on the town common the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 29, incorporating a few well-known songs to draw people to the main concert. A full rehearsal with the band follows on a Tuesday night, then a dress rehearsal at the high school on Friday before Saturday’s concert.
Chorus members sing during rehearsal, several in Halloween costumes. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
The season doesn’t end with the concert
The schedule doesn’t wrap up once the curtain closes Saturday night. The next afternoon, Sunday, December 6, RCS performs at Reading’s Menorah Lighting, and later that week the group travels to Brooksby Village, a senior living community in Peabody, for a performance that has become an annual tradition. RCS also holds a concert for the seniors at the Residences at Pearl Street in the spring.
The chorus’s commitment to the community extends beyond performances. RCS awards a scholarship each year to a student pursuing music, a tradition that predates Mosier’s time with the group. The scholarship has grown from a small annual award into a formal audition process open to students entering their first, second, or third year of college, provided they live in a town represented by a chorus member.
Beth Mosier leads Reading Community Singers in song, dressed as in a festive wrap for Halloween. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Getting a seat, or a spot in the chorus
For residents who’d rather watch than wait to sing with RCS for the Spring Concert, tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students, available at ReadingCommunitySingers.org, at the door, or from RCS members. Tax-deductible donations can also be made through the website. Residents interested in joining RCS for its spring session can find more information on the RCS website or the group’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
