Pepper Choplin, Director
Danielle Assessor, Soprano
Carly Prentis Jones, mezzo soprano
Calvin Lamar Carter, Tenor
Dr. Will Hughes, Bass
Patti Lingafelt, Keyboard

December 7, 2025, 7:30 pm
Westwood Baptist Church
200 Westhigh Street, Cary, NC 27513

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Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God; speak ye comfortably to  Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity  is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way  of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Thus saith the Lord of Hosts: Yet once a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come. The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; Behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire

And He shall purify the sons of Levi that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Behold! A Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us.

O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee, and the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo! The Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the Angel said untothem, Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be toall people; for unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying…

Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, goodwill towards men

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee! He is the righteous Savior, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen.

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.

He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Come unto Him, all ye that labor. Come unto Him, that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and hath redeemed us to God by His blood to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing… Blessing, and honor… glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

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In 1741 Handel’s fortunes were so low that he was considering leaving England. His opera company had collapsed and he had suffered a stroke. Handel accepted the invitation to compose an oratorio, a much more popular style of concert of the time. A text was presented to him by his good friend and patron, Charles Jennens, a wealthy landowner who had helped to finance every one of Handel’s publications since 1725. The text was assembled from the King James Bible and Psalms as printed in the Book of Common Prayer. In a letter to a friend, Charles Jennens wrote that he hoped that Handel will “…lay out his whole genius and skill upon it, that the composition may excel all his former compositions as the subject excels every other subject. The subject is Messiah.”

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Pepper Choplin has served as director of the Cary Community Choir since 2019. He is a full-time composer, conductor and humorist. With a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he went on to earn a Master of Music degree in composition from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
His published works includes over 330 anthems for church and school choir plus 24 church cantatas and four books of piano arrangements. Each week, thousands of singers present his music in churches and schools in the United States and around the world. He recently published his first book, A Million Notes, a collection of his best-loved lyrics and the stories behind them.

Pepper has conducted ten New York concerts of his music at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Julliard with over 250 voices and full orchestra. In Raleigh, he has conducted twelve performances of his cantatas at Meymandi Concert Hall with area church choirs and orchestra. Beyond his choral music, Choplin has produced two humorous CDs and an inspirational solo recording.

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Danielle Assessor is a soprano, originally from Upstate New York.  She was recently heard as the soprano soloist with the Carolina Ballet in their performances of Carmina Burana.  She has also performed this role with the Ithaca Community Chorus and Orchestra in Ithaca, New York.  Additionally, she has been a featured soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Faure’s Requiem, Bach’s cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Amy Beach’s Grand Mass in Eb, and Libby Larsen’s Mass of the Earth, as well as in recital in Baltimore, Washington D.C, Boston, and New York.  On the operatic stage, favorite roles include Sandrina from Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera, Pousette in Massenet’s Manon, and Mother in Emily Koh’s new opera, Generations. She holds degrees in voice performance and pedagogy from Ithaca College and the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.  She currently serves as a staff singer at Christ Church on Capital Square in Raleigh, and at Duke Chapel, where she is a soloist and section leader in both the Chapel Choir and Evensong Singers, as well as for the Bach Cantata Series. 

In addition to performing, she has taught private voice and piano for the last 15 years.  She resides in Wake Forest with her husband and her 3 year old daughter, Isabelle.

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Carly Prentis Jones is an accomplished vocalist from Raleigh, North Carolina. Equally at home on the concert stage and in the theatre, she has built a dynamic career spanning opera, musical theatre, and classical performance. A frequent soloist and recitalist throughout the region, Carly has performed with North Carolina Opera and most recently appeared as Lily in Porgy and Bess.

Her favorite stage credits include Camila in In the Heights (North Carolina Theatre), Nettie in Carousel (Theatre Raleigh), Lily in The Secret Garden and Sarah in Ragtime (Justice Theatre Project), and Dorothy in The Wiz (Burning Coal Theatre).

Carly holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Offstage, she is President + CEO of Artspace in downtown Raleigh and enjoys life with her fiancé, Eric, and their blended family of five.

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Calvin Lamar Carter is a native of Franklin, Virginia. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Vocal Music Education from Chowan University, accompanied by a Post-Graduate Certification in Church Music and Worship Formation from Campbell University Divinity School. Presently, he serves as a licensed K-12 Vocal/Choral Music educator in the Franklin City Public Schools in Franklin, Virginia.

Since 2009, Calvin has cultivated a successful career as a professional singer, gracing prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, the John F. Kennedy Center and The Washington Opera House in Washington, D.C., the Durham Performing Arts Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. Throughout his performing journey, he has also held numerous music ministry positions across Virginia, North Carolina, and California. He is currently serving as the Director of Music Ministry at Shiloh Baptist Church in Boykins, Virginia.

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Will Hughes has sung a variety of operatic roles with companies including The Dallas Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Florida Grand Opera.

Very adept on the concert stage, Will’s credits include McCullough’s Holocaust Cantata; Cohen’s Alzheimer’s Stories, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, Hodie, and Fantasia on Christmas Carols; Finzi’s In terra pax; bass solos in Bach’s Magnificat, and Matthäus-Passion; Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Handel’s Messiah, and the requiems of Brahms, Duruflé and Fauré: the latter of which he has sung under the direction of Maestro John Rutter along with the maestro’s original work, Mass of the Children.

Will holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in voice performance and pedagogy from Wheaton College and Westminster Choir College respectively and currently teaches at East Carolina University.

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Patti Lingafelt, harpsichordist/keyboardist and organist, received the Bachelor of Music degree from James Madison University in Organ Performance and the Master of Divinity with Church Music degree (organ concentration) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her husband Steven have lived in Durham since 1982. Mrs. Lingafelt, an ordained Baptist minister, has served several churches in the Triangle area as Minister of Music/Organist, retiring from Trinity United Methodist Church in Durham in February 2021. She has accompanied middle school and high school choruses, as well as numerous soloists and instrumentalists and continues to serve as a freelance accompanist and substitute organist and/or choir director for local churches. This is her tenth appearance as accompanist for the annual Cary Community Choir performance of Messiah. Mrs. Lingafelt is a member of the American Guild of Organists, Durham-Chapel Hill and Central NC Chapters; American Choral Directors Association; and Choristers Guild. The Lingafelts have two grown children

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We would like to express our deep appreciation to the following businesses, agencies and individuals who have generously given donations in support of tonight’s concert.

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Cary Community Choir is supported in part by grants from the Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival, an annual Cary-based festival supporting local arts and non-profit organizations and activities. Operational and promotional support is also given by the Town of Cary Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, William Lewis, Cultural Arts Manager.

Thank you to Dr. Lawrence Powers, Senior Pastor at Westwood Baptist Church for the invitation and support in hosting this concert in their facility.

Following tonight’s presentation, a free-will offering will be taken at the door to help defray the program expenses. Your contribution to the Cary Community Choir is tax deductible and greatly appreciated.

Checks may be made out to Cary Community Choir. You may also contribute online at www.carycommunitychoir.org. Please help to ensure the future of this Cary tradition through your generosity.

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President: Elizabeth Booker

Treasurer: Jim Bridges

Board Members

Alan Booker
Denise Buckner
Christi Cook

Bob Gutjahr
Jim Heddell
Daniel Tsui
Chelsea Wilson

Marketing/Communications: Regina Kaiser
Fundraising: Nancy Canterbury
Webmaster: Alan Booker

The date and location of next year’s 56th performance of Handel’s “Messiah” will be listed on the Cary Community Choir website as soon as those details are confirmed. Find us at
www.carycommunitychoir.org

Pam Alachi
Tim Barnard
Reginald Beard
Bryan Fong
Sally Fox
Jim Heida
Dave Heiser
James Housman
Asa Keim
Jim Matzko
Chuck McCullen
Debora Murphy
Kiser Norris
Barry Post
Jaylen Spencer
Kevin Sullivan
Michael Tomasik
Daniel Tsui
James Wetterau

Rock Angier
Bruce Berry
Jim Bridges
Forrest Burris
Ben Carnesecchi
Zachary Carnesecchi
Carl Daehler
Emyr Edwards
Earl Enzor
Andrew Fagerlund
John Fisler
Roy Gemberling
Kenneth Hartman
Michael Hughes
Gary Hunt
Robert Johnson
Wendell Jones
Larry Kingsley
Ken Knowles
Matt Martin
John Musgrave
Jonas Noel
Warren Powell
Michael Ridge
Tom Stribling
Zach Wilson
Jamie Winspear
Donald Ziff

Version 1.0

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