GET into the Christmas spirit this weekend by listening to the Philharmonic Society of Selangor’s choir on Dec 21 and 22. They will be presenting Songs for the Season, a special Christmas-themed performance, at the newly opened Damansara Performing Arts Centre.

This year, the choir will be singing a mixture of traditional and contemporary Christmas carols in English and Kristang. This will be a rare opportunity for audiences to hear Kristang and for both languages to be sung together in a concert. Kristang is a Creole language that is mainly spoken by people of Portugese and Asian ancestry in Malaysia and Singapore, which is now classified as endangered by UNESCO.

Songs for the Season will include Vivaldi’s most notable composition, Gloria, and the contemporary classic, Winter Wonderland of Snow. There will also be a special sing-a-long session with the audience to get everybody into a festive mood.

Founded in 1958, the Philharmonic Society of Selangor is one of the oldest and most established music societies in Malaysia. Its staying power is down to its reputation for staging good quality productions and encouraging the growth of the arts in Malaysia. The society has staged more than 50 musical productions ranging from classical to contemporary. What makes the choir stand out is that it is community-run, featuring people from all walks of life. It meets every Monday in Petaling Jaya. The choir will be under the direction of Cheryl Teh and accompanied by pianist Nish Tham.

The performance will be a perfect family outing for those who love singing along to classic tunes and enjoy choir performances. It is also the perfect opportunity for families to bond at the end of the year.

Songs of the Season will be staged on Dec 21 at 2.30pm, 5pm and 8.30pm; and Dec 22 at 2.30pm and 5pm at Damansara Performance Arts Centre, H-01, Empire Damansara, Jalan PJU 8/8, Damansara Perdana, PJ. Tickets are priced at RM23 which includes the RM3 ticketing fee and can be purchased at the Damansara Performance Arts Centre (DPAC) Box office. Tickets can also be bought online at www.dpac.com.my. For more enquiries about the performances, call the DPAC Box office at (03) 4065 0001.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 16, 2013.