The UW-Whitewater Department of Music will continue its annual tradition of the Holiday Gala Concert and Celebration during the upcoming holiday season.
Nearly every student ensemble throughout the Young Auditorium will perform during the celebration, which is Saturday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Small ensembles will play prior to the performance, during intermission and immediately following the large concert.
The event includes a dinner in the Kachel Center at 6 p.m. and a silent auction in the Fern Young Terrace starting at 7 p.m., which will run through the end of intermission.
There will be fresh spins on holiday classics and brand new works abound in the upcoming concert. The Gospel Choir will open with “Do You Hear What I Hear” by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker, arranged by Leotha Stanley. Then, there will be an edition of “The Joy of Christmas” with words, music and arrangements by Leotha Stanley. Jazz Ensemble I will perform “Santa Baby” by Joan Javits, Philip Springer and Tony Springer, with arrangements by Gordon Goodwin.
Up next is Vocal Jazz performing “Little Drummer Boy” and also “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” which will be backed by the Jazz Ensemble. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform “The Night Before Christmas” by Randol Alan Bass, narrated by Dean Eileen M. Hayes. Following intermission, audiences will hear performances by The Chamber Singers and Whitewater Symphony Orchestra with works by Wayne O’Quinn and Tchaikovsky. The finale of the concert will feature a special combined performance from the Whitewater Symphony Orchestra, Concert Choir and Chamber Singers of “Love Came Down at Christmas” by Ellenwood. There will also be several other smaller ensembles and choirs performing throughout the evening in various spaces throughout the Young Auditorium facility.
All proceeds benefit the Department of Music scholarship fund. For tickets call 262-472-2222 or order online at tickets.uww.edu or visiting the Greenhill Center of the Arts box office, Monday through Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Tickets are $24 for dinner. For the concert, tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for those older than 65, younger than 18 or UW-Whitewater students. All ticket purchases include a $2.25 per ticket Young Auditorium facility fee, and $1.50 per ticket, for a $12 maximum, ticketing services fee.
People may become an “Angel” for this year’s gala by making a donation toward the scholarship fund when purchasing tickets.
