When Brian Nelson joined Nova Singers as a 35-year-old baritone, he was one of the oldest members of the new professional choral ensemble. Two decades later, his position has changed little.
ldquo;Now, I am still or again the oldest member at 55, rdquo; he said with a laugh.

Nelson didn rsquo;t have grand expectations when he joined the group. He was young singer looking for a chance to perform.

ldquo;I joined thinking this will be a good opportunity to sing, rdquo; he said.

ldquo;I thought, maybe I rsquo;ll do it for a year or two. rdquo;

But over the past 20 years, Nelson, who works as a copy editor for the The Dispatch and Rock Island Argus, has been a constant in the 20-member group, and has grown into a symbol for it. During this time, the annual Nova Christmas concerts have become a favorite for him.

ldquo;If there rsquo;s one core experience that I rsquo;ve had and many of us have shared, it rsquo;s the joy and peace of those Christmas concerts, rdquo; he said.

For this reason, Nelson thinks it rsquo;s fitting that his last concerts as an official member of Nova Singers will be the Christmas performances.

Nelson said his commitment to the group has prevented him from taking on other roles.

Nova was his first priority, he said, and now he wants to carve out time for other opportunities. However, this will not be an easy change.

ldquo;That rsquo;s been the centerpiece of my Christmases for the last 20 years, rdquo; he said.

ldquo;That will be hard to let go. rdquo;

Nelson hopes to join Nova Singers on occasion for performances. However, he believes his leaving will not adversely affect the group.

It will continue to be successful as long as founder and director Laura Lane is involved, he said.

Lane said Nelson rsquo;s departure has been emotional for both of them.

ldquo;He is such a Quad-City institution, rdquo; she said.

ldquo;He rsquo;s really helped me make this group what it is. rdquo;

Lane began the holiday concerts by choosing simple arrangements of well-known carols. But over the years, she has worked to find striking but less familiar pieces, many in foreign languages, she said.

ldquo;I rsquo;ve tried really hard to find carols from other countries and be fearless with the languages, rdquo; she said.

Highlights of this year rsquo;s concerts, Lane said, include John Rutter rsquo;s arrangement of the French carol ldquo;Quittez, pasteurs, rdquo; Pierre Villette rsquo;s ldquo;O Magnum Mysterium rdquo; and Jan Sandr o m rsquo;s ldquo;Lo, How a Rose E rsquo;er Blooming. rdquo;

Lane said she rsquo;s found a successful formula to arranging Christmas concerts: Begin with serious and beautifully haunting music and conclude with lighthearted songs including sing-alongs with audiences and performances with children rsquo;s choirs.

The Carl Sandburg College Children rsquo;s Choir will sing in the Galesburg concert, and the Moline Boys Choir will perform in Davenport.

ldquo;It rsquo;s a very loose formula but I think our regular audience members really love that, rdquo; she said.

Lane said the combination of diverse holiday music and the precision with which the group sings is what brings audiences back year after year to the Christmas concerts.

But some may also come for the traditional Nova Christmas finale. The singers, decked out in gowns and tails, close the concerts by donning funny hats and singing a popular carol, Lane said.

Headgear has included reindeer antlers, a Dr.

Seuss-style top hat that towered several feet into the air, and a Santa hat that used battery power to flip its end from side to side. These wardrobe additions were intended to amuse the audience, Lane said, but they rsquo;ve had other effects too.

ldquo;It rsquo;s really important to me to make them laugh, rdquo; she said.

ldquo;It rsquo;s hard for me not to crack up. rdquo;

Katie Vaughn can be contacted at (563) 383-2282 or .

If you go

What: ldquo;A Nova Christmas, rdquo; the Nova Singers rsquo; Christmas concert

When: Dec.

15-16 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Davenport on Dec.

15; Central Congregational Church in Galesburg, Ill., on Dec. 16

How much: 15 for adults, 10 for seniors, free for students and children.

Tickets are available at the door.

Information: (309) 341-7038 or .