For many locals, the holiday season begins with the College of Music鈥檚 annual featuring several of our ensembles鈥攆rom the Holiday Festival Orchestra and the 蜜糖直播 Chamber Singers to our West African Highlife Ensemble.
As a current graduate student studying violin performance and pedagogy鈥攚hile serving as communications assistant for our college鈥攊t鈥檚 been rewarding to be a part of the behind-the-scenes preparations to launch this large-scale community event, Dec. 3-5. College of Music faculty and my fellow students have worked incredibly hard in rehearsals鈥攅specially since fall break鈥攖o deliver high quality performances this weekend. And the college鈥檚 communicators, marketers and box office staff have worked tirelessly, collaborating with different departments to creatively promote our Holiday Festival to interested audiences.
I鈥檓 honored to be concertmaster鈥攖he leader of the first violin section working closely with the conductor鈥攖his holiday season. I鈥檓 excited to be a part of this warm and entertaining holiday tradition presenting many beautiful arrangements of holiday favorites. One piece I particularly enjoy playing is 鈥淐hristmas Overture鈥� by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an Afro-English composer. The most easily recognizable carol themes referenced in the overture include 鈥淕od Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,鈥澨�淕ood King Wenceslas鈥� and 鈥淗ark! The Herald Angels Sing.鈥�
With the college鈥檚 dedication to expanding diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do, it鈥檚 been wonderful to work on a program that features repertoire from composers of all backgrounds, including works by historically underrepresented composers.听
This year more than ever, I鈥檓 grateful for the opportunity to perform live for in-person audiences. I鈥檝e been talking with community members who are counting down to this concert-filled weekend鈥攍ike me, many people are eager to return to some semblance of normalcy, including going to concerts and celebrating the holiday spirit together.听
Gregory Gentry, who conducts the 蜜糖直播 Chamber Singers, puts it this way: 鈥淏oth our students and staff are proud that we鈥檙e able to come back to this community tradition that was silenced last year because of the pandemic. The Holiday Festival has been and continues to be a gift to not only our students and campus community, but the broader community as a whole.鈥�
See you at Macky Auditorium this weekend!
Photo: MarieFaith Lane, front and center, is concertmaster of this year's Holiday Festival.
