Cal Poly Choirs to Present ‘A Christmas Celebration’ Dec. 6
The Cal Poly Choirs will present their annual holiday spectacular, “A Christmas Celebration,” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, in Harman Hall of the Performing Arts Center’s Christopher Cohan Center.
PolyPhonics, the University Singers, and the Cal Poly Early Music Ensemble will present holiday favorites and some new works. Music Professor Thomas Davies will conduct the performance.
The Cal Poly Brass Ensemble, conducted by Christopher J. Woodruff, and Cal Poly’s two student-led a cappella ensembles — Take It SLO and That’s the Key — will add to the festive performances. Staff members Susan Azaret Davies and Paul Woodring will accompany the choirs and will also perform solo works for piano and organ.
Repertoire will include original works for Christmas and Hanukkah by Antonio Vivaldi, Felix Mendelssohn, Benjamin Britten, Stephen Paulus and Ron Jeffers. Arrangements by Norman Luboff, Lara Hoggard and Joshua Jacobson will also be showcased.
Highlights of PolyPhonics’ performance will include the world premiere of “El Niño de la Madre” (“The Child of the Mother”), Cal Poly Music Professor Antonio G. Barata’s adaptation and arrangement of the well-known Catalonian carol. The 54-voice ensemble will also present Vivaldi’s “Kyrie,” accompanied by a string ensemble of Cal Poly faculty and students.
The 58-member University Singers will perform an arrangement of “Good King Wenceslas” by Alan Boehmer, a Central Coast composer, arranger and organist. The spiritual “Go Tell It on the Mountain” will feature Cal Poly music major Troy Hanson on string bass.
The Early Music Ensemble and cappella groups Take It SLO and That’s the Key will be featured in the popular “Christmas Cameos” portion of the program. Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in a carol sing-a-long.
Tickets to the concert are $14 and $18 for the public and $9 and $14 for senior citizens and students. Pricing includes all Performing Arts Center fees, and event parking is sponsored by the PAC. Tickets are sold at the Performing Arts Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. To order by phone, call SLO-4TIX (756-4849).
The Music Department offers a 10 percent discount to patrons who buy season tickets to four of its events through the Performing Arts Ticket Office; a 15 percent discount is given on tickets to five or more events.
The holiday concert is sponsored by Cal Poly’s Music Department, College of Liberal Arts, and Instructionally Related Activities program. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-756-2406.