Dickens Carol Singers

THE DICKENS CAROLERS are a group of four people, with two men and two women making up the lineup. The year that Charles Dickens's well-known novel "A Christmas Carol" was first published, 1843, is the year that we dress in stunning, traditional English garb from about that same year. Both of the women's gowns are full-length and flowy, with one made of green velvet and the other made of red velvet. The gentlemen appear dapper dressed in tails and top hats, with vests and ties in complementing red and green colors. All of our music is sung in four-part harmony, but it is unaccompanied because we want to stay faithful to the spirit of the day. Our repertoire consists of popular carols, both traditional and contemporary, and spans a period of two hours. Some examples of these carols include "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "O Come All Ye Faithful," "O Christmas Tree," "Jingle Bells," "White Christmas," "Winter Wonderland," and "Rudolph," as well as a great number of others. 1978 marked the beginning of The Dickens Carolers in Seattle, Washington, and the group has called the greater Portland, Oregon region home since 1985. In the past, we have been fortunate enough to receive substantial publicity from the local media, including appearances on programs such as KOIN's "Sunshine Food Drive" and KATU's "AM Northwest." We have been featured in ads broadcast on television and radio and have been included in a number of articles, images, and mentions published in regional publications. At this moment, we only do performances during the Christmas season, which can start as early as October and go all the way until the end of January. Over the course of the previous year, The Dickens Carolers brought holiday cheer to the greater Portland metropolitan region by playing music for over 200 hours. The fact that we have many quartets that all play at the same time during the season is what makes this accomplishment conceivable. This is important in order to fulfill the demand for high-quality Christmas entertainment in the Portland region. Specifically, the demand has been increasing. Our clientele consists not only of local retail malls, shopping centers, and department shops but also of numerous civic groups, churches, and restaurants, as well as businesses. Additionally, we perform at a variety of private Christmas events. We are pleased to announce that The Dickens Carolers have developed into something of a regional custom in the Pacific Northwest, and we get a lot of delight out of making the holiday season joyful and musical.