Thousands of voices across the world will unite in song during this weekend's World Choral Day, and at least a few hundred of those singers will be belting out the holiday classics in Coquitlam.

The Coastal Sound Music Academy will stage its holiday concert this Sunday (Dec. 9) to coincide with World Choral Day, an international day of solidarity, peace and understanding that's been staged since 1990.

Broken down into two concerts, the shows will take place at 3 and 7 p.m. at the Evergreen Cultural Centre.

"People can expect a family-friendly afternoon or evening of wonderful music of the highest possible professional standards, even with our youngest choirs, who are training and learning to be singers and choral musicians," said Coastal Sound's executive director Angela Crocker.

Staged around the moniker of Comfort and Joy, the two shows will feature five of the six choirs that train out of Coastal Sound. The 3 p.m. show will include the Con Brio, the training choir for boys and girls in grades 1 to 5, and the Con Bella, which serves as a more advanced training choir for girls.

The academy's Children's Choir, billed as a professional-level touring choir whose singers range from nine to 14 years old, will round out the afternoon performance alongside guest saxophonist - and Angela's sister in law - Valerie Crocker.

"Valerie has an amazing professional career as a music educator and a musician in her own right," Angela said. "I have been paralleling that with a long career in arts administration and this is actually the first time we've ever come together as part of the same project, event or anything for that matter."

The afternoon's repertoire will be highlighted by a rendition of Sing Joy, a three-song medley consisting of "Joy to the World," "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful."

The evening portion of the event, which kicks off at 7 p.m., will feature songs courtesy of Coastal Sound's children's, youth and adult choirs, as well as an appearance by guest Steve Maddocks, who will perform Vaughn Williams' "Fantasia on Carols." Though those groups will also perform seasonal favourites, more contemporary songs like Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" will also be added to the mix.

"Both of those songs speak to coming together as a community and comforting one another when times are tough," Crocker said.

Tickets range in price between $10 and $20. To purchase tickets, call the Evergreen box office at 604-927-6555 or log onto https: //tickets.evergreenculturalcentre.ca/TheatreManager/1/ tmEvent/tmEvent663.html.

jkurucz@thenownews.com