Enjoy the sounds of traditional Christmas music and a few extras during an upcoming performance of the Tusculum University Community Band.
The ensemble will hold its annual Christmas concert Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Marilyn duBrisk Theatre of Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center. The theme for this family-friendly event will be “A Declaration of Christmas.”
The concert is free and open to people of all ages. Donations are welcome.
“As we celebrate the Christmas season, we invite the community to spend a fun evening with us,” said Dr. David Gonzalez, the university’s director of bands, who will conduct the concert. “We love to perform this concert every year and to enhance the Christmas spirit within the community. Our band has worked extensively to create a show that will delight our audience with a nice variety of songs.”
Traditional Christmas songs the band will play are “Greensleeves,” arranged by Alfred Reed; “Fantasia on Silent Night,” arranged by Julian Bond; “A Christmas Festival” by Leroy Anderson; and “Symphonic Prelude On Adeste Fidelis” by Claude T. Smith. Dr. Gonzalez said Reed’s version of “Greensleeves” is the original band version.
Other songs on the playlist are “Christmas Declaration (A Holiday Flourish for Band), arranged by Robert W. Smith; “A Christmas Tale (Beware the Krampus)” by Leroy Anderson; and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” arranged by Michael Brown.
Dr. Gonzalez said the band has also prepared a special encore song, but he is keeping the name a secret – for now. Those who want to discover the name of that song have an easy way to learn it – by attending the performance.
A new element to the concert will be entertainment in the lobby beforehand. As the band completes its final preparations inside the theater, pianist Susan McKenzie and vocalist Bonnie Straub will perform songs in the lobby while guests wait for the concert doors to open.
“The Tusculum University Community Band plays an integral part in supporting the quality of life in our region,” said Rouja Green, director of the higher education institution’s Center for the Arts. “We are so appreciative of the community members and the faculty, staff and students who perform in this band and enrich personal lives through their exceptional music. Through Dr. Gonzalez’s leadership and the band members’ commitment, the Tusculum University Community Band contributes significantly to our arts programming.”
The band has 45 band members and plays an array of genres, such as classical, jazz and contemporary. New this year are a brass choir, sax quartet and woodwind ensemble from within the band that perform at other functions. Dr. Gonzalez said more people are welcome to join the band and can share their interest by emailing him at [email protected].
After this concert, the band will have three more performances as a group during the remainder of the concert season. They will be held Feb. 27, May 7 and the Independence Day holiday weekend.
More information about the university’s music program is available at https://site.tusculum.edu/music/. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.
