When the School of Music presents the annual Fredonia Holiday Choral Concert, the power of music will take center stage.
The event is slated for Saturday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m., in King Concert Hall.
“The holidays are a time we can come together and reconnect with those special memories from the past,” noted Dr. Vernon Huff. “The power of music is that it helps us reconnect with those feelings.”
It is the fourth year the holiday choral concert has been presented and is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
Once again, the event will be recorded for broadcast on local PBS station WNED. Check the station’s listings for the dates and times. The concert will also be shared with PBS North America and PBS+.
Presented in conjunction with the School of Music’s Sound Recording Technology program, the concert will be live streamed and posted to the School of Music YouTube channel.
The concert will feature the Chamber Choir and the College Choir under the direction of Dr. Huff and the Camerata under the direction of Brent Weber. There will also be select student vocal soloists. All told, 12 works will be performed during the concert, including three with the choirs combined.
“This music is from our common heritage,” Huff said. “Many of us grew up singing these tunes.”
The repertoire will include traditional favorites “Away in a Manger,” “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
Huff said the concert will also include newer works such as “Lo how a rose e’er blooming,” arranged by English composer and conductor Dr. John Rutter. The piece will feature School of Music faculty member Dr. Sarah Hamilton as a soloist on oboe.
Student soloists will include Hannah Rich of Webster, NY; Allison Romain of Windsor, NY; and Ashley Zielezinski of Depew, NY, on "Tundra" by Ola Gjeilo. Also, Reganae Walters of Rochester, NY, in "Here's A Pretty Little Baby" arr. by André Thomas; Layla Hollis of Franklin, PA, in "Away in a Manger" arr. Derric Johnson; and Zoe Nipe of Brighton, NY, and Mia O'Malley of Peekskill, NY, in "The Christmas Song" arr. Kirby Shaw.
The Fredonia Holiday Choral Concert is made possible in part by the Kay Hardesty Logan Foundation of Arlington, VA, with funding administered through the Fredonia College Foundation.
“The Kay Hardesty Logan Foundation has been so supportive of us,” Huff noted.
