Morris Choral Society performs at Bickford this weekend

The winter holidays are a time for looking back to the past and forward to the future. The members of the Morris Choral Society have particular reason to appreciate that tradition.

As they have each year since 2004, the singers will present a program of holiday music at the Bickford Theatre in Morristown.

But this year’s concert also marks a first for the 70-voice chorus: its first performance under its new music director, Matthew Lee.

Lee, a Denville resident, has picked up the conductor’s baton from Wayne Walters, who founded the Morris Choral Society in 1973 and who retired as music director this past July.

Assuming a role that had been filled by the same person for 22 years would seem to be a daunting task, but Lee says the transition has been a smooth one. “It could have been tough, but (the singers) have been very gracious and accepting,” he says.

Lee had one advantage: He was not a stranger to the choir. At the 2014 holiday concert, he was invited to be guest conductor for a piece.

“It’s been a blast so far,” says Lee, who has taught at Parsippany Hills High School for the past two years. “It’s great to work with such accomplished voices.”

For the 2015 concert, Lee has crafted a program that mixes familiar melodies with works that are not as well-known but no less beautiful.

“Holiday Spectacular XII: Awe and Wonder” will include pieces by John Rutter and Javier Busto. One selection, “Night of Silence,” incorporates the melody of “Silent Night.”

Lee has also chosen a Russian version of “Ave Maria” (by Rachmaninoff), which will be sung back-to-back with the Schubert’s version of “Ave Maria.” The international flavor will extend to the inclusion of a Nigerian carol.

One piece, “Christmas in Three Minutes,” consists of snippets of 22 different Christmas songs spliced together. “The transitions are seamless,” says Lee. “It’s not meant to be funny, but it’s interesting.”

Capping the concert will be a sing-along of carols with the audience.

Lee says he took care in selecting this program. “The challenge is not to go over the top. You want to make it relatable to the audience.”

His other goal for the singers is to build on the tradition begun by Wayne Walters. “I’d like to pursue higher and higher levels of the music repertoire,” he says. “I want to make them more aware of what they can do with their instruments.”

That task is made easy by the skill already evident in the Morris Choral Society, according to Lee. “There’s a warmth to their sound. They have a lot of heart. They thing about the words they’re singing.”

Lee is grateful that the singers have accepted them as readily as they have. “They are willing to change things and work really hard,” he says. “They are completely non-judgmental. They just want to make music.”

“My feeling is that there’s never one way of performing, never one way of singing,” Lee continues. “The singers in the Morris Choral Society are willing to change things and work really hard.”

As if taking over a 42-year-old chorus was enough of a challenge, Lee is preparing for another new venture. In January 2016, he will begin teaching at John P. Stevens High School in Edison, which happens to be his alma mater.

“It’s a little surreal,” admits Lee with a laugh. “The program that I went through at J. P. Stevens was spectacular. It’s a little intimidating to go back as a teacher, but I’m excited about it.”

HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR XII: AWE AND WONDER

WHEN: 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

WHERE: Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown

TICKETS: $15 to $25

INFO: Bickford Theatre: 973-971-3706 or www.bickfordtheatre.org; Morris Choral Society: 973-267-9833 or www.morrischoralsociety.org