Two vocal ensembles–the Pumpkin Hill Singers and Cantate!----–present a Christmas concert on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 pm at the United Community Church on Main St. in St. Johnsbury.

Cantate! will also perform at the Sr. Johnsbury Athenaeum in the afternoon Victorian Holiday music program that begins at 1 pm.

The Pumpkin Hill Singers are also presenting a shorter program on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 pm at the Danville Congregational Church.

More info about the Saturday concert: Under their new director, Robert Wilson, the Pumpkin Hill Singers’ program includes a set of tunes by Bach for all seasons, accompanied by drummer David Hare, bassist Phil Brown, and cellist Kevin Charlestream. Then they will sing popular songs including “We Need a Little Christmas” and a comic spoof, “The Twelve Days After Christmas.” Cantate! will follow with a set of early music a cappella Christmas songs. Then the Pumpkin Hill Singers will return with a handbell procession of the plainsong “Of Eternal Love Begotten” to begin their sacred program including selections from Benjamin Britton’s “Ceremony of Carols,” Randall Thompson’s “The Best of Rooms," the African-American spiritual “Mary Had a Baby,” John Rutter’s “Mary’s Lullaby,” and Camille Saint-Saens’ “Arise, Shine, Thy Light Is Come." Harpist Tomoko Sugawara, with Charlestream on cello and Wilson on organ, will play Charles Gounod’s “Hymn to St. Cecelia and Henri Busse’s “The Sleep of the Infant Jesus.” In keeping with Pumpkin Hill tradition, the audiences at both concerts will be invited to close singing along on the chorus of “Julian of Norwich” with the hopeful refrain: “Let the winter come and go. All will be well again, I know.” Admission by donation.