ELISE ACKER
Staff Writer
With the holiday season around the corner, Pepperdine’s choir and orchestra are gearing up for a free performance filled with festive carols and religious pieces.
The Fine Arts division will present its annual Christmas Concert on Dec. 1, and the event will be a collaborative performance between the choir and orchestra.
Director of Choirs Milton Pullen said this concert has been a traditional, capstone event for the choral program since he entered the position in fall 1995.
“It has usually been in conjunction with the Christmas dinner in the Waves Café, so it becomes a big night,” he said.
The Christmas dinner is organized by Dining Services and Student Activities.
The program’s first half features the choir in its two sections: the Seaver College and Concert chorales.
While the Concert Chorale consists of talented upperclassmen, Pullen said, the Seaver group, with a core of freshman recruits, also presents an impressive performance.
The choir’s portion of the program centers on the theme “O Magnify the Lord,” which is derived from Gerald Sinzi’s “Magnificat.” Pullen said.
“Mag-nificat” is also the most significant number performed during the first half.
Pullen described it as an extensive work with organ music that was originally inspired by Mary’s song following the annunciation in Luke 2.
Pullen said the concert will inspire the audience to get in the Christmas mood. Many people have said it signals the opening of the holiday season, he added.
The program’s second half is performed by the orchestra.
Directed by Tony Cason, orchestra conductor, this portion of the program will feature the time-honored Christmas tune “Sleigh Ride” as one of its performance pieces.
Toward the end of the program, the choir will join the wind ensemble for several numbers, one of which is the “Halleluiah Chorus” from George Frederic Handel’s “Messiah.”
Cason said he is looking forward to collaborating with the choir.
“There is something so powerful that occurs when the choir and orchestra are united,” junior choir member Betsy Spina said.
“The mix between the voices and the instruments provides such a colorful, unique sound that neither one could produce alone,” she said.
After they combine, the choir will perform traditional Christmas carols accompanied by the orchestra, and the audience is invited to sing along.
Among the carols performed will be “Carol of the Drum,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?”, “Silent Night” and a secular arrangement of “Deck the Halls,” Pullen said.
Spina said she enjoys the Christmas performance because of the carols.
“Everyone looks forward to singing Christmas songs all year long, and this concert provides the perfect opportunity for us to do so,” she said.
The performance will also showcase solos from soprano senior Christin Wismann and tenor sophomore Ryan Crane.
Wismann’s solo is from “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Z. Randall Stroope, and Crane’s solo is a piece titled “Believe” from the film “Polar Express.”
While he acknowledges that most people will not be familiar with “Dona Nobis Pacem,” which means “grant us peace” in Latin, Pullen said his goal is for the audience to be amazed by the beautiful piece.
“I’m betting on it because it’s our last number,” he said. “It’s extremely emotional. If they haven’t heard this composition, they won’t forget it.”
Wismann agreed. She said she thinks this number will make an impressive finale.
Spina said she encourages people to come out to this year’s holiday performance.
“We all work so hard, and I know that everyone would enjoy the music if they came,” she said.
The Christmas Concert will be Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Smothers Theatre.
Admission is free for Pepperdine students, faculty and staff. Tickets cost $10 for the general public.
11-17-2005
