Music for the Holidays Concerts Sunday, Dec. 7

The 19th annual Music for the Holidays concert will take place at 3 and at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, in the Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall. 

Ringing in the holiday season in two sessions will be the regular variety of ensembles along with a new group, a children's choir called Singing Redbirds.  They will join the University Symphony Orchestra, Civic Chorale, Concert Choir, University Women's Choir, Men's Glee Club, Belle Voix and narrators, along with a surprise guest from the North Pole.

Tickets are $10 for the general public, $8 for faculty-staff and $7 for students and senior citizens.  Children 6 and younger are admitted free.  Tickets are available at the CPA box office from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays or by calling (309) 438-2535.  The concert is part of the School of Music Gold Series.

The holiday program will begin with Trumpet Fanfare by the Trumpet Ensemble, conducted by James Major, dean of the College of Fine Arts.  It will be followed by the Symphony Orchestra performing "Farandole" from "L'Arlesienne."  Graduate student Philip Rudd will conduct.  The Concert Choir, Civic Chorale and orchestra will perform "Sanctus" from Durufle's "Requiem," conducted by Karyl Carlson.

Alumnus Christopher Kelts, currently conductor of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, returns to the CPA Concert Hall podium to conduct the "Chanukah Festival Overture" by Lucas Richman.  Karyl Carlson will conduct combined choirs and guest organist Jay Regenitter performing excerpts from Ernest Bloch's "Sacred Service."  It will be followed by a reading by Brandon Burling, coordinator of the CPA box office.

"From Thine Eyes" from "Elijah" by Mendelssohn will be sung by combined women's choirs and conducted by new Music faculty member Sarah Graham, who also will conduct massed choirs and the orchestra performing "And the Glory of the Lord" and "Hallelujah" from Handel's "Messiah."

Following intermission, Major will conduct the orchestra in Leroy Anderson's "Christmas Festival" senior Melissa Miller will conduct the Singing Redbirds' performance of "Ring the Bells," and Tim Fredstrom, Music, will conduct combined men's choirs singing Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." 

Graham will conduct men's choirs performing the country-pop song, "Blue Christmas," followed by Director of Orchestras Glenn Block conducting the orchestra's Russian Christmas Music by Alfred Reed.  Fredstrom will conduct the perennial "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson and the concerts will close with "A Christmas Garland" by Conrad Susa, performed by combined choirs and the orchestra and conducted by Carlson.