CSCC Music Department Presents Holiday Concert

Holly Vincent
Wednesday, December 13, 2017 12:00 AM
Community, Students

CLEVELAND, Tenn. The Chamber Choir and Vocal Rhapsody Ensemble of Cleveland State Community College will present a concert celebrating the holiday season on Thursday, December 21 in the George R. Johnson Cultural Heritage Center. Student and adjunct instrumentalist will begin the prelude at 6:30, followed by the choral ensembles.  The prelude will include selections by Stephen Brannen, guitar, Roger Lantigua, violin, Daina Maystruck and Anastasiya Zavadaska, piano and flute.  

The celebration will include many different styles and types of music from classic choral arrangements to playful “novelty” songs like and several non-holiday selections.  The first act will begin with traditional choral favorites such as "March of the Kings," "Angels We Have Heard on High," "Still, Still, Still," "Hallelujah, Amen" and "Psalm 23."  Alumni will be invited to the stage to sing along with March of the Kings.  The Chamber Choir will also share "How Can I Keep from Singing," Once Upon a December, with alumni Nikki Lewis dancing, and Vera Kurochka on violin, and "Go Light Your World." The first segment will close with Amber Filippone singing the Carol King hit "I Feel The Earth Move" accompanied by Amy Smitty (piano), William King (percussion), and Stephen Brannen guitar, followed by the up-tempo gospel anthem, "He Never Failed Me Yet, with Zachary Prock as percussionist and Dathan Hill on bass. CSCC student Howard Lakins-Graves' arrangement of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" will be played.  

Dr. Seymour will speak briefly at the close of intermission about Cleveland State being a Veterans Designated Campus and also a Veterans Reconnect Grant recipient. Following this, and a solo, "Holly, Jolly Christmas" by AJ Vincent, the choirs will perform a set of music dedicated to our veterans which will include a Patriotic Medley and “The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy.”

The second act will feature lighter, secular holiday songs such as "Winter Wonderland," with soloist Mady Hicks, "Baby, it's Cold Outside," with staging by Seth Bush and Anna Whitlock, The "12 Days AFTER Chrismas," a novelty song by the ladies of the Chamber Choir, "How Far I'll Go, from Moana, which was released in theatres during last year's holiday season, and “Where are you Christmas" sung by Alexis Bramlett. Vocal Rhapsody will close the show with the Pentatonix arrangement of "That's Christmas to Me."

Both choirs are under the direction of Karen Dale, Associate Professor of Music. “The students were greatly disappointed when their concert was postponed due to snow on December 8,” stated Dale. They are hopeful that the community and campus friends and family will come out and celebrate the season with them at this free gift to the community concert on Thursday evening at 6:30 pm on the Cleveland State campus in the Johnson Building auditorium."