The sounds of the season include two annual musical programs by Columbia Pro Cantare: Handel's “Messiah” at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, in the Jim Rouse Theatre; and its Chamber Singers doing “A Christmas Noel” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, in Christ Episcopal Church.

When Columbia Pro Cantare music director Frances Motyca Dawson prepares to do “Messiah” every December, she said, she always finds comfort in the oratorio's spiritual richness.

“It is relevant now, because we're living in an era of total chaos worldwide and so it's reassuring for people to hear music they're familiar with,” Dawson said. “For many people, it's fear of the unknown, and the familiarity of ‘Messiah' is good to come home to.”

Not only do the reassuring thematic qualities of this musical masterpiece make it a welcome presence in the concert hall every year, but Dawson added that the piece's historical importance also includes the fact that it “began to break down barriers between the church and the concert hall.” Back when this oratorio was first done in the 18th century, musicians and singers from sacred and secular backgrounds collaborated in performing it.

“They came together for this piece. It has endured for 274 years with audiences around the world,” Dawson said. “It's ecumenical and global.”

The local appeal of Columbia Pro Cantare's “Messiah” also owes a lot to familiar soloists who are returning for yet another performance of it: soprano Amy van Roekel, mezzo MaryAnn McCormick, tenor Charles Reid and baritone Lester Lynch. They will be accompanied by the Festival Orchestra and Henry Lowe on the organ.

As for the smaller-scale “Christmas Noel” program, which is performed by the Columbia Pro Cantare Chamber Singers, Dawson described it as “a potpourri of traditional and contemporary music.”

That musical assortment includes seasonal music written several hundred years ago by composers including Josquin Des Pres and Mikolaj Zielenski; and there also will be such familiar carols as "Deck the Halls."

Featured performers include oboist and English horn player T.J. Wagman, a Howard High School graduate who is currently a student at the University of Maryland College Park.

Columbia Pro Cantare performs Handel's "Messiah" on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at Jim Rouse Theatre at Wilde Lake High School, 5460 Trumpeter Road in Columbia. There is a pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m. and a post-concert reception. Advance tickets are $23, $20 for seniors and students; $2 more at the door. Children under 15 are $10.

The Columbia Pro Cantare Chamber Singers perform "A Christmas Noel" on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 6800 Oakland Mills Road in Columbia. Advance tickets are $15, $13 for seniors and students; $2 more at the door. Children under 15 are $10. Call 410-799-9231 or go to procantare.org.