Pittsburgh residents Linda Jackson and JoAnn Bralich have been attending the Heinz Chapel Choir Holiday Concert for 15 years.

“We all feel that we can start our Christmas season once we’ve heard this concert,” Bralich said following the choir’s final song, “Deck the Halls.”

The choir, composed of some of Pitt’s most gifted singers, puts on a holiday-themed concert every year in Heinz Chapel to provide students and locals with an enjoyable event to celebrate the upcoming holiday season.

This year, the 74-year-old student choir will perform five concerts sprinkled throughout early December, and the first one took place Thursday evening.

“It’s a popular concert and sets the mood for the entire holiday season,” said Steven Anisko, the choir’s organist. “For many people, it’s been a long tradition of coming here.”

Led by Director John Goldsmith, the choir performed songs such as “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and “Ubi Caritas” for the audience of all ages packed into Heinz Chapel. The choir, which puts on different renditions of classic holiday songs at the event, displayed their vocals in multiple languages, including Latin and Ukrainian. Most of the choir’s songs were sung a cappella, which means they had no piano or organ to accompany them.

In a month that makes spirits bright through song, the choir sang some other holiday classics, including “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and “Silent Night,” while the audience and organist chimed in, as well, following lyrics printed in brochures.

The holiday concerts usually draw a large audience — a testament to the appeal of the holiday musical traditions the choir provides.

“What a way to start off the Christmas season,” Jackson said. “The talent and the passion — and they’re not even music majors.”

The choir spends months preparing for the annual holiday concert, which will also be broadcast live on WQED-TV on Dec. 7 at 8 p.m.

According to Ryan Hestin, a junior computer science major and bass singer in the choir, the group rehearses every Tuesday and Thursday evening up until the concerts.

“I like the music we make,” Hestin said. “There are a lot of great singers in this choir — really great talent — and it is a lot of fun to be able to sing alongside them.”

While the concert included some livelier, nostalgic songs, the choir was also able to create a silent atmosphere for a few short moments. At one point, the 52-member choir walked along the outer edges of the audience, each member holding a candle in hand, while Goldsmith, the director, walked right down the center aisle.

Creating a different sound than the vocals that dominated most of the concert, Anisko also played a few pieces alone. Anisko, a Pitt alumni and former bass singer in the choir, has been involved in the Heinz Chapel Choir since 1993.

Anisko studied music at Pitt and performed in the choir for three years. He toured around Greece and Italy with the choir, as well — a trip that he really enjoyed. He remembers singing in the middle of the town square in Venice, Italy, and in a cathedral in Siena, Italy.

One of Anisko’s professors while at Pitt, Robert Lord, was the organist for 44 years. Anisko soon followed in his footsteps and has been the organist since 1999.

But now, Anisko primarily plays in the holiday concerts. He prepares for these concerts by practicing in the off-hours of the chapel — when he can get the gigantic space to himself. Anisko also said that as a former choir member, he thinks that most students really enjoy being a part of this group.

It’s a wonderful extra-curricular activity. It’s a great creative outlet from the regular things, and there is good camaraderie between choir members; good spirits between them,” Anisko said.

Hestin could not agree more.

“The choir is absolutely fantastic,” Hestin said, who is now singing in the choir for his fifth year. “It is a great activity through the school, and it relieves stress, especially during finals,” Hestin said.