With Benjamin Britten's 'A Ceremony of Carols' (Op 28) as the central piece, the Bermuda Chamber Choir's concert had something for everyone.The highlight of Saturday's concert was definitely the Britten opus, composed, as choir director/compère Ron Campbell explained, in very unusual circumstances.Britten was travelling on a freighter from Halifax, Canada back to England as part of a U-boat-dodging convoy in 1942, a voyage that took a total of ten weeks. A chance purchase of an anthology of medieval poetry before the convoy's departure was the inspiration for this exquisite suite of carols, each quite different, but all pianistic in style.I have enjoyed listening to a number of recordings of the work, but hearing it live in four parts at the Wesley Methodist Church was a real treat.The ensemble produced a rich sound, while the soloists, sopranos Ruth Stovell, Mary-Claire Lynas and tenor Matthew Nester, added a sparkling layer to the musical texture. 'The Interlude', a piano solo played feelingly by Oliver Grant, who accompanied the choir throughout the piece, was especially delicate. Visiting organist, Dr Charles Callahan, also provided accompaniment throughout the piece.The concert also featured a number of traditional carols set to modern arrangements, such as David Waggoner's 'Hodie (Christus natus est)', written, according to Mr Campbell, in 2011, but as haunting and elegant as any medieval piece and a triumphant celebration of the birth of Christ. The same might be said of Amy Bernan's 'Throw Open Your Shutters', a madrigal that evoked elegant dancers in an Elizabethan hall on Twelfth Night, and Douglas Wagner's adaptation of 'Greensleeves' entitled 'All on a Cold Winter's Night'.A quartet of new arrangements of traditional carols took us bouncing around the globe with a lively jauntiness. Linda Specacek's 'Noel, Noel' and Greg Gilpin's 'He is Born' with 'Pat a Pan'.The latter, accompanied by Antoinette Davis on flute and Shelton Bean on percussion, referenced French and English carols. 'Baloo Lammy' by Ruth Morris Gray introduced us to a 17th century Scottish carol, and Mary Lynn Lightfoot's 'A Festive Fa La La' had a flavour of the 1960s Brazilian jazz style.A trio of quieter lullabies set a different tone. David Waggoner's 'A Winter Night' and 'Hush my Babe', a traditional Kentucky carol arranged by Cynthia Gray, evoked soft, still winter nights by a fire. Alfred Burt's 'Some Children See Him' opening with a delicate piano solo reminded the audience of the universality of the Christian message of hope, peace and love.Three modern spirituals, 'Run to the Manger' by Victor Johnson, 'Goin' to Bethlehem' by Joy Althouse and 'Have You Seen the Baby?' by Ruth Morris Gray, rounded out the evening with a musical tradition closer to home. The concert concluded with a new piece, also by Victor Johnson, entitled 'Stars I Shall Find', sung with the hope that there are stars out there for all to find.An encore of a new arrangement of 'Silent Night' sent a very appreciative audience home with joy in their hearts and peace in their minds.