"Gloria in excelsis Deo" a lyrical phrase heard often in the Christmas season, is the first movement of a choral work to be performed on Sunday, the first Sunday in Advent.

The CedarBridge Academy Chamber Choir will join the Bermuda Philharmonic Society at Wesley Methodist Church to perform Vivaldi's Gloria under the direction of Granville Oldham, an international faculty member of the School of Performing Arts seconded to the school.

"This work was chosen because it fits the musical maturation of the choir and the orchestration available on the Island. It's an accessible but significant work, a main staple of the choral repertoire that the students will come across in the future," said Mr. Oldham.

While acknowledging that, "most of us are more comfortable with contemporary music," alto section leader Jekia Knights-Fubler stated, "I like the whole 28 minutes. Most of the music is fun to sing if you know your part."

As section leader she must first make sure she knows and is comfortable with her part, and then makes sure each member of her section knows their part.

"Most of the students learn by listening to the music, but the section leaders can read music and know music theory," she explained. "Sometimes we get together as a section and rehearse.

"We have had to make a lot of sacrifices. We have to weigh our commitments, and most of the time choir comes first. We have to dedicate a lot of time to choir beyond the four classes a week. There are Saturday practices, and the section leaders rehearse at lunch time and after school."

Vernon Harrison, assistant conductor, said: "I'm excited because this is a different genre of music (for us). It puts CedarBridge in a good position because we're going outside the box and bringing back the history of music. So now as a school we're also known for classical music; it's not just the overseas schools who are performing this music."

He added: "I'm excited by the high interest shown not only by the CedarBridge staff and students but also the general public. One gentleman expressed his pleasure that we were going to perform a piece he described as 'very intense.'

"This piece requires a lot of teamwork as a choir, especially the second movement, "Et in terra pax". If one section is strong and the other is not, there isn't going to be a balance, which affects the transition from one phrase to the next."

The event starts at 5 p.m. and tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for children and seniors, and $50 for patrons. They may be purchased online at www.philharmonic.bm, or at The Harbourmaster in the Washington Mall.