PULLMAN – The WSU School of Music will present its holiday concert, Holiday Lights, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, in the Bryan Hall Theatre.
Admission for the concert is $10 for general admission, $5 for students and senior citizens, and free for children 12 and under. It is also free for those that have season tickets to the WSU Music Faculty Artist Series.
This family-friendly concert will include music by the WSU Madrigal/Chamber Singers, the University Singers, the WSU Concert Choir and the WSU Orchestra.
The concert will open with the WSU Madrigal/Chamber Singers, directed by Lori Wiest, performing a traditional English seasonal program including William Walton’s “What Cheer,” Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “The Blessed Son of God” and a new arrangement of the medieval “Make We Joy Now in this Fest” by Malcolm Archer. Additional favorites will include “Deck the Hall” and “Good King Wenceslas.”
The University Singers will perform Three Ancient Christmas Carols arranged by their director, Mark Reagan. The first carol, sung in English, is based on the Lutheran Christmas chorale “Christum wir sollen loben schon.” The second, in Latin, is an energetic “Gaudete, Christus est natus.” Although its composer is unknown this song has become a favorite of choirs over the centuries. The final carol, Michael Praetorius’ “Psallite, unigenito,” uniquely includes texts in Latin and German. The University Singers will end their program with an arrangement of “Christmas Island,” a standard that has been recorded by such artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Leon Redbone and Bob Dylan.
The WSU Concert Choir, conducted by Lori Wiest, will share settings of three traditional holiday tunes, “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “What Child is This?” with flutist Kara Bogen, and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” They will also sing “What Sweeter Music” by English composer and conductor John Rutter. Graduate student Darnell Epps is the accompanist.
The WSU Orchestra, directed by Ruth Boden, will perform the Christmas Concerto of Arcangelo Corelli. Written in 1712, and bearing the inscription fatto per la notte di Natale (“Made for the night of Christmas”) this concerto grosso will feature Rebecca Stamm and Keora Flanary-Olayvar on violins, and Danny Balaban on cello. The orchestra will also perform Leroy Anderson’s holiday favorite “Sleigh Ride.”
The orchestra will join forces with the WSU Concert Choir and University Singers in a performance of two of the beloved songs by John Williams from the movie “Home Alone.”
The WSU Holiday Concert will precede the Pullman Tree Lighting downtown and Santa’s visit to Pullman.
