The Southeast Missouri Symphony will join forces with the University Choir and Chamber Choir to present Holiday Concerts for Symphony and Choirs on Nov. 23 and 24.
Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall on the River Campus of Southeast Missouri State University. Face coverings will be required, and social distancing guidelines will be in place. Due to capacity limits, patrons are encouraged to reserve their seats early.
The program will feature lively and spirited orchestral and choral music in anticipation of the upcoming holiday season. Dr. Sara Edgerton, conductor of the Southeast Missouri Symphony, will conduct the first half of the program. Dr. Barbara Lamont, director of choral activities, will conduct the second half of the program.
Edgerton said, We are very excited about these upcoming holiday-themed concerts. This has been a very busy and creative semester at River Campus, and we feel that it is appropriate to celebrate the upcoming holidays with these festive and traditional selections. The students have worked diligently to prepare this program, and we are looking forward to sharing these choral and orchestral pieces with our audiences.
The symphony will open the concerts with several short selections by Georg Frideric Handel, including his beloved Rejouissance from the Royal Fireworks Suite; two short selections from Water Music; and the Mozart arrangement of the beautiful Pastorale movement from Messiah. Arrangements of Russian and English carols will be performed. The orchestra will also present several movements of the iconic Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky and will conclude the first half of the program with Leroy Andersons beloved Christmas Festival medley.
For the second half of the concert, University Choir and Chamber Choir students will present a heartwarming series of short carols drawn from a variety of cultures and traditions. Songs such as SVivion, a Jewish folk song, and Wassail Song, a traditional song from England, will be presented along with familiar tunes like Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire and Jingle Bells. A series of short chorales by J.S. Bach will be interlaced throughout the program. Due to Center for Disease Control and Prevention requirements and health protocols, the Choirs will be divided up into smaller 14-singer ensembles to perform these iconic and notable songs.
Tickets
Tickets may be purchased by contacting the River Campus Box Office, located in the Cultural Arts Center, 518 S. Fountain St., weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., by calling (573) 651-2265, or online at RiverCampus.org.