St. Timothy’s to host free Dec. 7 Christmas concert featuring acclaimed performers

Lovers of opera and Christmas music will get a mash-up of the two when St. Timothy’s Catholic Church hosts a free concert of Christmas music with three veteran musicians with ties to a famous opera company.

The Christmas Concert is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, at St. Timothy’s Church on Kennedy Way in Morro Bay. Entry is on a donation basis.

The concert features tenor Peter Girardot and Eileen Meredith both of whom have long careers with the San Francisco Opera Company accompanied by pianist/organist Beverley Arnold. 

Girardot, a masterful tenor who recently retired from the S.F. Opera after over 30 years, was born in London, and moved to Toronto, where he earned a four-year scholarship to the Royal Conservatory of Music.

He started out performing with the Toronto Opera and the Canadian Broadcasting System, and became a rising star in the world of opera.

Girardot moved to California after graduating and joined the West Bay Opera Company, performing critically acclaimed roles including Tamino in “The Magic Flute,” Rodolfo in “La Bohème,” Don José in “Carmen,” Faust, and Otello, among many other roles.

He debuted with the San Francisco Opera in Katya Kabanova and performed with the troupe for over 30 years. He has performed with opera legends Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo.

Meredith hails from Washington, D.C., and critics have raved that she has “a voice of heart-breaking beauty.”

Meredith didn’t start her musical life in opera as she started singing professionally in a high school rock ‘n’ roll band, and graduated to perform numerous challenging opera roles, including Norina in “Don Pasquale,” Gilda in “Rigoletto,” Lucia in “Lucia di Lammermoor,” Cio-Cio San in “Madame Butterfly,” and Mimi in “La Bohème.”

She’s performed with the San Francisco Opera, S.F. Symphony, S.F. Sinfonietta, the Oakland Youth Orchestra, West Edge Opera, and the East Bay Opera League, among many others. 

Meredith halso has an extensive resume of teaching and directing. See: talent.entireproductions.com/talent/eileen-meredith for performance videos

Arnold is an accomplished harpist and organist from New York who began performing in 1994 at 14. She performs as a soloist, and also accompanies soloists, choirs, orchestras, chamber groups, and more. She graduated with honors from the Community Division of Eastman School of Music in 2001, studying harp, piano, voice, and harpsichord.

Arnold moved to the Central Valley after graduation and studied harp and organ at Fresno Pacific University graduating with honors in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree.

From 2003-10 she was the church harpist, organist, and pianist at St John’s Cathedral in Fresno. She now performs for special occasion events such as weddings and concerts.

Seats are limited and admission is a donation at the door. The church will have refreshments available too.