The University of Florida (UF) College of the Arts and the School of Music is pleased to present its annual holiday concert, Sounds of the Season, on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Gainesville, Florida. With the theme of An American Holiday, this year’s concert, which is free and open to the public, will feature an array of holiday favorites such as The Little Drummer Boy and White Christmas as well as two wonderful stories of American Christmases past. The centerpiece of the concert created by Phillip Grow, Red Telephone, is a short musical play that tells the story of the origin of the NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) Tracks Santa program, which since the 1950s has been following Santa’s progress from the North Pole for children everywhere. Another highlight of this year’s concert will be the narration of Longfellow’s Christmas by UF President W. Kent Fuchs.
With generous support by President Fuchs, Sounds of the Season: An American Holiday will feature more than 250 performers, including students from UF’s Concert Choir, UF Women’s Chorale and UF Symphony Orchestra, as well as area community members from the Gainesville Master Chorale. The concert will open with the Christmas Processional on the ancient Gregorian chant Gaudete created by Joshua Mazur, a Ph.D. student in composition and conducting. Mazur’s HanukkahFantasy will also receive its world premiere.
“Sounds of the Season is a wonderful seasonal legacy, and it is particularly special this year as it will be President Fuchs’ first,” said Professor and Director of Choral Activities Dr. Will Kesling. “This concert gathers the entire community and offers a time for us all to pause and escape from the hectic, and nowadays, frightful outside world into a delightful inner world of comfort and joy.”
Ticket Distribution Information
Tickets to Sounds of the Season are free and will be distributed at the door beginning at 5 p.m. the day of the concert. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to secure a seat, as a full house is expected. For more information, contact the Phillips Center Box Office at 352-392-2787 or visit http://performingarts.ufl.edu.
About the School of Music
The School of Music is one of the University of Florida College of the Arts’ three institutionally-accredited schools. The School of Music plays an important role in the academic life of the University and the community. The school’s programs provide broad-based instruction in performance, composition, history and literature and music disciplines, through a strong curriculum as well as through professional experiences such as ensembles and internships. UF students also have the opportunity to join more than a dozen music ensembles, including jazz bands, the University Choir, the University Symphony Orchestra and the “Pride of the Sunshine” Fightin’ Gator Marching Band. To learn more, visit www.arts.ufl.edu/music.
About the College of the Arts
The College of the Arts is one of the 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. The College of the Arts offers baccalaureate, master’s and Ph.D. degree programs in its three institutionally-accredited schools — the School of Art + Art History, School of Music and School of Theatre + Dance. The college is home to the Center for Arts in Medicine, Center for Arts and Public Policy, Center for World Arts, Digital Worlds Institute, University Galleries and the New World School of the Arts in Miami. More than 100 faculty members and approximately than 1,200 students work together daily to engage, inspire and create. The college hosts more than 300 performances, exhibitions and events each year. Faculty and students also exhibit and perform at other local, national and international venues. To learn more, visit www.arts.ufl.edu.
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Media Contact
Leah Spellman, APR
University of Florida College of the Arts
Office: 352.273.1489 | Cell: 904.419.3346
lspellman@arts.ufl.edu
