"Glory to the World", the 12th Annual Christmas Cantata

The Inland Empire Filipino Seventh-day Adventist Church in Redlands brought in the holiday spirit with their 12th Annual Christmas Cantata, “Glory to the World,” on Dec. 12. There were two different opportunities to catch the the talented chorale groups and soloists: the first showing was at 7 p.m. Friday night and then 10:45 a.m. Saturday morning. The night began with the all chorale groups, soloists, and musicians of all ages joining the stage to sing “Glory to the World” together to welcome in the community. Jun Israel, Music Director for the Mass and Sanctuary choir, welcomed everyone to the Christmas Cantata to start off with the opening prayer. To introduce the chorale group members and musicians, Israel briefly spoke about the progress of the members over the years. “The members of the Children’s Choir are now becoming members of the Youth Choir and the Youth Choir became members of the Young Adults Choir,” he said. Israel also explained that the newest addition to the Church is the Young Families’ Choir. “The Lord has blessed our Church so many times; we have grown and aged and increased in numbers,” he mentioned. Each chorale group took the stage to perform traditional holiday songs including: “O Holy Night”, “Gift for Jesus”, “Christmas Hymn”, and many more classics. The Youth Choir performed “All Glory.” Some of the members in the Youth Choir are also in the Young Adults’ Choir, so they stayed on stage as the rest of the Young Adults’ Choir gathered in place. They performed the holiday classic “We Have Seen A Savior.” However, they weren’t alone on stage. Soloist Mehlani Domingo joined them to sing their second song, “My Soul Magnifies.” Soloists Maddalena Grossnickle performed the song “Tell Me The Story of Jesus” with the Children’s Choir. They also had soloists Kayla Bugayong, Haley Dugaduga and Trevor Samples to join them as they sang “Christmas Hymn.” The night was filled with classical music, family, friends and holiday spirit. After the show, all attendees were welcome to stay for a little holiday feast.