2008 Woodie Awards
Yuletide celebration last to be held in MCA for two years
Eryk Salvaggio
Issue date: 12/7/06 Section: Style
The Yuletide Celebration at the Maine Center for the Arts on Sunday will feature 300 singers from practically every major choir on campus, including the Collegiate Chorale, Athena Consort, Black Bear Men's Chorus, Oratorio Society and University Singers, will entertain audiences with traditional choral carols that can transform snow from a mere classroom obstacle into a soothing reminder of the winter wonderland that comes to students within 12 hours of their last final.
"I think getting around 300 people singing songs of happiness, joy and peace is always something to look forward to. I have heard all five groups sing this year and they all sound amazing," said Lee Hunter, president of University Singers.
To transform the event from festivity to an all-out occasion, it will be the last performance of Yuletide at the MCA for at least two years, as the venue will be undergoing renovations.
"It's bittersweet," Hunter said. "I know the older ones in the group, myself included, will probably not perform in another Yuletide concert in the MCA, but knowing that it's because they are doing a multi-million dollar renovation to make it even better is something that we all are glad to see happen."
The evening's format will allow each group to sing individually for ten minutes each. For this portion of the program, groups will show new and familiar material from previous years. By the end of the show, it is all tradition as the groups perform the "Hallelujah Chorus" together with a candlelight processional.
Dennis Cox, conductor of the University Singers, has organized the concert for 29 years, and takes almost 80 of his University Singers on the road every spring, including a tour of Europe in 2004. In March, the band will take their spring tour to Philadelphia, playing only two more shows for the public this semester.
The concert takes place at the Maine Center for the Arts at 2 p.m. Sunday. There is an $8 admission fee, but the show is free for students.
"I think getting around 300 people singing songs of happiness, joy and peace is always something to look forward to. I have heard all five groups sing this year and they all sound amazing," said Lee Hunter, president of University Singers.
To transform the event from festivity to an all-out occasion, it will be the last performance of Yuletide at the MCA for at least two years, as the venue will be undergoing renovations.
"It's bittersweet," Hunter said. "I know the older ones in the group, myself included, will probably not perform in another Yuletide concert in the MCA, but knowing that it's because they are doing a multi-million dollar renovation to make it even better is something that we all are glad to see happen."
The evening's format will allow each group to sing individually for ten minutes each. For this portion of the program, groups will show new and familiar material from previous years. By the end of the show, it is all tradition as the groups perform the "Hallelujah Chorus" together with a candlelight processional.
Dennis Cox, conductor of the University Singers, has organized the concert for 29 years, and takes almost 80 of his University Singers on the road every spring, including a tour of Europe in 2004. In March, the band will take their spring tour to Philadelphia, playing only two more shows for the public this semester.
The concert takes place at the Maine Center for the Arts at 2 p.m. Sunday. There is an $8 admission fee, but the show is free for students.
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