Light in the Darkness
Every season begins with a spark - a first note, a first gathering, a moment when possibility hums in the air.
Last year, under the banner of Turn the World Around, the Occidental Community Choir celebrated the power of music to transform, to lift, and to connect us. We sang of joy and justice, weaving songs into a tapestry that reminded us how art can ripple outward and change lives.
This season, we step into a different kind of calling. Light in the Darkness is about seeking and creating light when the world feels dim. It’s about music as a lantern: something we carry together, passing its glow from one heart to another. Our program will take us through moments of stillness, struggle, wonder, and celebration with each song as an ember that can ignite hope. This season’s music will remind us that even in the longest night, the promise of dawn is real. We sing them not as individuals, but as a single, many-voiced instrument, resonating with courage, compassion, and joy. So come ready with your openness and light.
Together, we’ll not only sing into the darkness… we’ll change the way it feels. Here’s to the light we will find and the light we will become.
Winter 2025 Concert Dates:
December 5th, 7:00 PM
December 6th, 3:00 PM
December 7th, 3:00 PM
December 12th, 3:00 PM
December 13th, 7:00 PM
December 14th, 3:00 PM
Tickets will be available nearer to the concert dates
Support us with a donation
Keep the spirit of OCC alive in your hearts and in your ears!
Our 40th Anniversary Twin-CD Set is now ready for shipment. One CD covers Winter 2018 and the other Spring 2019. Most of the music for those concerts was drawn from our library of compositions written by our members over the years.
40 Years Anniversary CD
40 Years of Music from Home
On our 40th anniversary year we observed this momentous occasion by celebrating four decades of making original music in the company of our friends and neighbors. We spun yarns and took trips down memory lane as we revisited some of the best-loved songs written by choir members past and present. We recorded both spring and winter concerts and share them with you in this 2 disk set. $35 covers tax and shipping
Limited Edition "Greatest Hits" CD
Get your copy now! One of the unique things about the Occidental Community Choir is that we compose much of our own music; and in the 36 years of our history, we've written more than 400 songs.Here are 19 of the best, composed especially for winter, from choirs past and present.
$20 per CD (price includes shipping and tax)
Note: We ship only within the U.S. Please allow two weeks for delivery
Our Beginning
Back in 1978, on Christmas Eve, a group of musically-minded souls from the hills surrounding Occidental, California gathered around a campfire in the center of town to sing carols. We didn’t want to go home, so we started a choir.
Through the decades the choir has solidified its reputation for excellence by producing unique concert experiences that combine humor, storytelling, poetry, varied instrumental accompaniment, and an off-the-beaten-path repertoire.
Learn more about our history
"And we breathe in our daily labors
and breathe out songs in four parts;
we bring life to the notes on the pages,
and the music gives light to our hearts…"
Choirsong Chorale" by Marcy Telles and Doug Bowes
Our Mission
Our mission is both simple and clear: To create, collaborate in performing, and in promoting great music, much of it composed by our members. We mentor and support one another in developing our skills as singers, lyricists and composers. Our music encompasses a wide range of personal experience and reflects the authentic connection we have with one another and the larger community.