EVENT: The Orpheus Chamber Singers presents Christmas in the British Isles

WHEN AND WHERE: Dec. 3 at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church and Dec. 5 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church

LOCAL VOICES, BRITISH SONGS: The Orpheus Chamber Singers, a 24-member professional group based in Dallas, looked across the Atlantic for this year's holiday performance. Don Krehbiel, the group's founder and artistic director, said the program covers a range of emotions associated with the Christmas season: the spirit of holy mystery, quiet reflection and joyful celebration.

The music ranges from thousand-year-old chants to a song composed just last year, with music from the 16th and 20th centuries melded in as well.

"It's a very modified lesson in carols," Mr. Krehbiel said, but it's accessible – you don't have to have a degree in music history to enjoy it.

ROOTS: Kenton Kravig, the group's administrative director, said this year's British theme echoes 2004's successful German-song-only performance. Narrowing the music to one country can be an eye-opener because people often remember these Christmas songs, he said, but know nothing of their origins.

FOOD FOR THE BRAIN: Information about the songs appears in the program notes, Mr. Kravig said, so listeners can better understand what they're hearing and learn about the composers, lyrics and time period. Audience members "always comment that we treat them like intelligent people," he said.

DETAILS: The first performance, Dec. 3, will be at 2:30 p.m., at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, 9800 Preston Road at Walnut Hill Lane in Dallas. The second performance, Dec. 5, will be at 8 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 6306 Kenwood Ave. at Abrams Road in Dallas.

Tickets are available for $22 or $30, with reduced prices for senior citizens and students. To order tickets, call 214-546-1252 or visit www.orpheuschamber singers.org.

Laura Schreier