ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- A local choral group will pay tribute to a piece of Elmira history this holiday season. 

The Cantata Singers will pay tribute to the men who were held at the Elmira Civil War prison camp in the World Premiere of their two new songs at their upcoming concert, “Christmas in Elmira, 2022.” 

In July, the choral group was awarded a two-year Artist Employment Program (AEP) grant worth more than $200,000 from Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY). The new songs -- “Christmas in Elmira, 1864” and “A Christmas Letter Home” -- are part of that Composer-in-Residence Story Music Project. 

“That grant actually funded the time that I needed to do the research in order to put together the pieces,” said Will Wickham, Director of The Cantata Singers. “I spent a lot of time at the Historical Society, looking through diaries and letters from and to prisoners during the actual time of the prison camp.” 

With music by Wickham and lyrics by Edward Dougherty, the new songs recognize the more than 12,000 men who were held at the Civil War prison camp on West Water Street in 1864. Since there was only enough barrack space for 5,000 of them, many were forced to live in tents along the Chemung River. As the winter weather grew worse, members of the community began to worry about the soldiers’ health. 

“Christmas in Elmira, 1864” tells the story of the citizens of Elmira, and how they felt having a prison camp in their city. 

“They were being strong abolitionists; they were very concerned about the prisoners,” said Wickham. “So, people of the church actually wrote letters to the prisoners asking if there was anything that they could do to help them; anything they could provide." 

In the second piece, “A Christmas Letter Home,” a prisoner’s point-of-view is revealed as he writes to his wife on Christmas day. 

“We didn't take the story from a specific prisoner; we took it from several,” said Wickham. “But the text of the music is based on actual writings of prisoners writing home.” 

Despite premiering the works in December, there was one main reason why Wickham decided to focus on the soldiers’ experiences during the Christmas season. 

“[It] seems like a very poignant time of year when one thinks a lot more of somebody who's incarcerated, and especially somebody who's so far from home,” he said. 

As for how the group plans to use the rest of the two-year grant, Wickham has a few ideas in mind that also pay tribute to history in the Southern Tier. 

“During March, April and May there's the “Schumann Festival,” and it's largely because there are descendants of Robert and Clara Schumann that live in this area,” said Wickham. “They have mementos from Robert and Clara Schumann...that they will have on display at the Historical Society. The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes is participating, and we're going to do a concert as well. I'm hoping to have a piece that will somehow reflect how the Schumann family wound up in little old Chemung County.” 

Until then, the Cantata Singers will present “Christmas in Elmira, 2022” at Park Church on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. Admission is free, and anyone is welcome to attend.  

“There's plenty of seating for everybody who wants to come,” Wickham said. “For the audience, masks are optional. Certainly encouraged, but optional. It'll be good to have everybody back together listening to really great music.”