“I love bringing people on a journey,” says Nicholas Sienkiewicz, Artistic Director of the Lehigh Valley Chorale.

“Sometimes we think about programming as the need to pick the right composers and the right eras and a diversity of genres and backgrounds. For me, I really want people to have an experience,” Sienkiewicz says.

Lehigh Valley Chorale presented “Where Hope is Found,” 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 14, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown.

Founded in 2016, the Chorale has expanded its membership to nearly 200 singers. The concert included a chamber orchestra, guest appearance by the Mosaic Youth Chorus and the participation of several area community organizations.

The variety of musical selections ranged from traditional Christmas carols to contemporary works.

While some scholars date the traditional English carol “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” to the 16th century, the first known text is included in a manuscript from the 1650s. The melody was added before the work was published in 1855. The Chorale presentation added two sets of percussion instruments.

“Gloria Fanfare” by American composer Jeffrey L. Ames (b. 1969) is an exuberant proclamation of “Glory to God in the Highest” filled with excitement and joy as it celebrates the birth of Christ.

The program included music of cultural traditions such as Kwanzaa, a celebration of African-American culture, which began in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach. The name Kwanzaa means “first fruits” in Swahili and combines aspects of several different harvest celebrations such as those of the Ashanti and those of the Zulu.

Karenga created seven principles, or “Nguzo Saba,” a set of ideals with each day of Kwanzaa emphasizing a different principle.

The Chorale performed Zanaida Steward Robles’ “Umoja,” which represents Unity, the first principle of Kwanzaa. The other principles are: Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith.

In celebration of Hanukkah, singers presented Robert Applebaum’s (b. 1941) “Five-Sided S’vivon,” a jazzy setting of the traditional Hanukkah song “S’vivon, Sov, Sov, Sov.”

Additional selections were “This Christmas” by composer Donny Hathaway and “Hallelujah” from “Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration,” premised on the “Halleluja Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah.”

The program included the premiere of Sienkiewicz’s most recent composition, “Where Hope is Found.”

Says Sienkiewicz, “When I was planning for this concert I was struggling to find a piece for choir, chamber orchestra and particular voicing and message.

“Not finding the right piece, I started writing ‘Where Hope is Found’ and the work took on new meaning.

“We lost one of our young chorus members and this piece is dedicated to them. It’s about finding hope even in the darkest of times, and that hope is found in action and an active connection between people.”

Special guest artist, Mosaic Youth Chorus performed several selections, including “The Tree of Peace” by Gwyneth Walker.

The text for “The Tree of Peace” is an adaptation from the Quaker poem, “O Brother Man,” by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892). The musical setting reflects the dual nature of the title: Tree (strength) and Peace (tenderness). The final sentence of the original poem is the focal point of the work: “Love shall tread out the fire of anger, and in its ashes plant a tree of peace.”

Says Sienkiewicz, “In addition to the musical component, the event includes five community organizations which focus on different issues affecting young people. Everything from mental health to LGBTQ to foster care support will be represented at this concert.”

Organizations represented are NAMI Lehigh Valley; National Alliance on Mental Illness; Valley Youth House, Bradbury Sullivan LGBT Center, and The Kindness Project.

Nicholas Sienkiewicz is in his second year as Artistic Director of the Lehigh Valley Chorale.

Sienkiewicz, based in New York City, is Director of the Youth Pride Chorus; Music Instructor for the New York Film Academy’s Professional Conservatory of Musical Theatre, and a Conducting Fellow with the Queer Urban Orchestra.

Sienkiewicz received a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., and undergraduate degrees in voice and biochemistry from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Lehigh Valley Chorale, “Where Hope is Found,” 2 p.m., 7 p.m. Dec. 14, Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St. Allentown; Ticket information: Miller Symphony Hall box office, 610-432-6715, https://www.millersymphonyhall.org

“Classical View” is a column about classical music concerts, conductors and performers. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com