During the holiday season, friends and family come together and children sit by the Christmas tree for their long-awaited gifts. With the holiday season comes chilly weather and festive music, bringing holiday cheer in every corner. In celebration, performing arts groups hosted the annual Holiday Concert. On Dec. 13 and 14, the PAC was full of friends and family supporting the performers and watched band, choir, and orchestra perform their pieces.

On Wednesday, Dec. 12, the band ensemble, choir, and Orchestra 1 performed. Some of the songs that Orchestra 1 opened with were “Celtic Carol” and “Yuletide,” as well as “See Amidst the Winter Snow,” an arrangement of the beloved traditional English carol. The following day was filled with performances from Orchestra 2, Chanteurs, and Symphony Orchestra. In the beginning of the concert, Orchestra 2 opened with the holiday pieces called “Jingle All the Way” and “My Candles in the Window.” The second piece is a traditional Hanukkah song that is both a lovely and haunting melody arranged by Brendan McBrien, who incorporated the original melody between verses to give added variation and interest. Following this piece was “Somewhere in My Memory,” which is a song from the movie Home Alone. Mark Hayes’ wonderful arrangement captures the song’s beauty, reminding us of the innocence and magic of childhood at Christmas. Gentle vocals and music build up to an ending of harmonic wonder. Orchestra 2 finished off with the piece “Highland Holiday,” a festive medley which combines three joyful melodies into a cheerful Celtic tapestry with the drum, guitar, and whistle to give the tune a distinctive “fiddle band” sound.

Chanteurs followed with several fantastic numbers, including “White Winter Hymnal, and Orchestra 3 closed the holiday concert with the tune “Christmas Day.” The closing song was written by Gustav Holst in 1910 for choir and orchestra with a play on the traditional carols “Good Christian Men Rejoice!,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Come Ye Lofty,” “Come Ye Lowly,” and “The First Noel.”

The Holiday Concert brought holiday cheer and excited the audience about the nearing winter break Orchestra 3 member junior Brandelyn Nie said, “I love the Christmas holidays so I’m glad to play all the Christmas music and perform it to the audience.” Congratulations to the performing groups who kept up the hard work before Christmas!

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