Annual Grand-Scale Holiday Season Concert Presented Dec. 7-9 in Harlen Adams Theatre

CSU, Chico’s Department of Music and the School of the Arts get the holiday season off to a resounding start with the annual Glorious Sounds of the Season concert. Proceeds from the series of concerts go towards music scholarships for CSU, Chico students.

Presented December 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. and December 9 at 2 p.m. in Harlen Adams Theatre, Glorious Sounds of the Season has become a Chico-area holiday tradition. Sold-out performances have become the norm the past several years.

“We strongly suggest that anyone wanting to attend one of the concerts should buy their tickets in advance,” said concert coordinator David Scholz. “It is likely that tickets may not be available at the door, and we would hate to have to turn anyone away.”

The Glorious Sounds of the Season concerts employ many areas of the Music Department and includes student, faculty, and community performers.

“This is a unique concert in that the audience will hear such a wide variety of musical performances all in one night,” said Scholz. “In addition to pieces presented by individual ensembles as well as soloists, there will be sections of the concerts where concert-goers will hear all of the performers at once. And of course there will be opportunities for the audience to perform themselves on several classic holiday tunes where the audience members are encouraged to sing along.”

Works being performed span the entire holiday season music spectrum. “There will be a wide variety of styles and types of music performed,” said Scholz. “There should be something for everyone attending the concert to enjoy, whether it be traditional or contemporary, vocal or instrumental, classical, popular, or multi-cultural.”

Highlights of the concert include Leroy Anderson’s classic holiday season favorite, “Sleigh Ride” played by the Chico State Wind Ensemble; arrangements of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Ding, Dong Merrily on High” sung by the CSU, Chico Chamber Singers; and several selections played by organist David Rothe on the Centennial Pipe Organ, including a beautiful arrangement of “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.”

“Although Dr. Rothe will be retiring after a long tenure at CSU, Chico at the end of this academic year, we hope that we will be able to convince him to come back and join us in future years on the organ,” said Scholz.

In addition to the Chamber Singers, many other vocal ensembles will perform, including the Acappella Choir, the University Singers, the Children’s Choir of Chico, and Opera Workshop. All of the choirs will join together to form the 150-voice Choral Union to perform “There Shall a Star,” a selection from Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Christus ,” and a portion of the “Gloria” from Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Harmoniemesse ,” both accompanied by Dr. Rothe. Solo vocalists will include faculty members Dr. Ying Yeh and Daun Hayes, and a trio of tenors will sing “O Sole Mio,” the signature song of the famous opera tenor Luciano Pavoratti, who passed away earlier this year.

Numerous small instrumental ensembles will also perform, including the Flute Choir, the Low Brass Choir, a saxophone ensemble, a guitar quartet, and a French horn quintet. The North State Symphony Wind Quartet will play an arrangement of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and jazz pianist Grant Levin will play a medley of holiday tunes arranged by Thelonius Monk. The audience will also hear Jazz X-Press and be treated to selections on the piano from Dr. Bob Bowman, also due to retire at the end of the school year.

The vocal ensembles and the Chico State Wind Ensemble will lead audience participation sing-alongs of favorite holiday season carols, and the night will conclude with a grand finale written specifically for the Chico State Music Department.

All in all more than 25 musical selections will be performed.

As in the past, Glorious Sounds of the Season! will “move seamlessly from ensemble to ensemble, piece to piece,” according to Scholz. The numerous ensembles will set up on different parts of the stage and performance hall and music will sporadically bounce around the Harlen Adams Theatre, literally surrounding the audience in a real-life surround sound.

“This is a different type of concert experience than people are used to,” said Scholz. “We are asking the audience to hold their applause until the very end of the concert so that the music takes center stage for the duration of the event.”

Tickets, at $20 for all seats, are available in advance in Chico at the University Box Office (898-6333) and Terrace Pharmacy, and in Paradise at the House of Color; add $2 for tickets purchased at the door. For disability-related accommodations, please call 898-4325.