Holiday Season at UW-M/WC kicks off with concert

MARSHFIELD - The annual Holiday Concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, in the Helen Laird Theatre.  The concert will feature seasonal and holiday selections from the Symphonic Band, Concert Choir and Jazz Ensemble.

The Symphonic Band, conducted by Dr. David De Lyser, will once again open the concert.  Selections will include “Sonata Pian e Forte,” an arrangement of Gabrieli’s famous multi-choir work; “Noble Deeds,” by Charles Young, UW-Stevens Point professor of music theory and composition; and “Christmas Festival,” Leroy Anderson’s famous arrangement of Christmas Carols. The band has almost 60 members, and is made up of both community musicians and students.

The Concert Choir, also conducted by De Lyser, will make up the middle portion of the concert.  The choir will perform traditional and contemporary pieces about winter and the holidays, including “Angels Singin’ Glory;” a spiritual, and “In the Bleak Midwinter,” the famous Christina Rossetti poem set to music by Gustav Holst. The choir is made up of mostly students, as well as faculty and staff members from the university.

“I really enjoy the eclectic combination of pieces we’re performing,” said Samantha Wilatoski, 20, Marshfield.  It is her second year singing with the Concert Choir. “The mix of secular, sacred and contemporary is really exciting.”

The Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Jeff Erickson, will close the show with a mix of classic and contemporary jazz music, including swing, ballads, Latin and jazz-rock fusion.  Both community members and students make up the ensemble.

The concert will conclude with” Let it Ring, Let it Swing, Let it Snow,” performed by the Jazz Ensemble and a small vocal jazz chorus.

Tickets are $7.  The Campus Box Office is open 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before performances.  To order tickets, call 389-6534.  VISA, MasterCard and Discover are accepted.

Upcoming arts events include the Spotlight Series presentation of “A Red, Hot …and Blue White Christmas!” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, in the Helen Laird Theatre. The event is sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts and Dave and Tania Meyer, Ameriprise Financial Advisors. Tickets are $10 (16 and under) and $16 (over 16).  For tickets, call the Box Office at 715-389-6534.