A wave of angelic voices crossed continents on Dec. 15, bringing to life Christmas melodies in the language spoken by Christ and the Apostles.
The album, “The Joy of Christmas,” features 14 tracks combining full choir pieces and solo performances — 11 of them sung in Aramaic — and is now available on iTunes.
“We want it to reach the world, both Assyrian and non-Assyrian,” said choral coordinator Leah Rose Fisher. “Even if you’re singing in a language that somebody doesn’t understand, it’s something that everyone can understand, it surpasses all language. You connect no matter if you speak the same language or not.”
From dream to reality
Formed in 2017 by the Assyrian Arts Institute, the Assyrian Women choir grew from the longtime dream of founder and executive director Nora Betyousef Lacey to create a national Assyrian choir.
“Today’s public reacts favorably and highly regards strengths and accomplishments over misfortunes,” Lacey said. “I decided to use the universal language of arts, and through performing and visual arts, educate and impress the global audience with Assyrians’ rich culture, traditions, and heritage.”
Auditions drew singers from around the world to San Jose, California. Those unable to join in person submitted pre-recorded tapes or auditioned virtually. Initially, nine women from Germany, Canada, and the U.S. joined. Today, the group has grown to 15, including members from Australia, London, and Ukraine.
Led by conductor Dr. Charlene Archibeque, the women meet annually in California for three live concerts, though the pandemic forced virtual performances in 2020 and 2021.
Singing in Aramaic
The choir’s performances are sung in modern Aramaic, known as Assyrian. The language remains in use among Assyrians worldwide. The ensemble sings in multiple dialects, including Eastern (Swadaya) and Western (Turoyo), with non-fluent singers guided through pronunciation and phrasing.
“Leah did a lot of work setting us up for success,” said Tenise Marie, a choir member from British Columbia, Canada. “As well as the sheet music, we were provided with extra resources including voice recordings for each song in the chosen dialects.”
Recording the album
Since the group first formed, they dreamed of recording an album — but it wasn’t until 2022 that everything fell into place. With expanded membership and a more organized structure, they were ready to bring their dream to life.
Choir members flew in from around the world to San Jose, where they balanced dress rehearsals, three concerts, and recording all 14 songs in the studio. With just one week in the city, Fisher said they were on double duty.
To save time, they recorded the album during the final dress rehearsal of their live performance — and it was then that they faced their greatest challenge.
“Recording is different than singing in a concert,” Fisher explained. “When you sing and it’s live, you have a different energy because you have an audience in the room. Recording can feel drier because you don’t have an audience giving you that energy and support.”
After the session, Fisher spent months working with an audio engineer to select the best takes and learning the intricacies of music production, legalities, and promotion — a process that stretched nearly two years.
But the journey was more than music.
“There’s a special bond that happens when you sing together,” Fisher said. “And there’s a special bond when you meet another Assyrian and you’re like, ‘I don’t know you, but I know you.’ And there’s something above those when you bring those things together.”