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BYU Choirs and Philharmonic join together for Christmas celebration

Four BYU choirs and the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra will perform three Christmas concerts in the de Jong Concert Hall

Performance Dates and Times: Dec. 1-2 | 7:30 p.m. | Dec. 2 | 3:00 p.m.

Location: de Jong Concert Hall, Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU

Price: $17 ($5 off with BYU or student ID, $1 off for senior citizens or alumni)

Tickets: Available in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone at 801-422-2981 or online at byuarts.com

Celebration of Christmas, the annual musical extravaganza, will bring the joy of the Christmas season to Brigham Young University. The concert will include performances by all four of BYU’s top choirs, BYU Singers, BYU Concert Choir, BYU Women’s Chorus and BYU Men’s Chorus, as well as the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra. BYU Concert Choir and BYU Men’s Chorus will be directed by Rosalind Hall, BYU Singers by Andrew Crane, BYU Women’s Chorus by Jean Applonie and BYU Philharmonic by Kory Katseanes.

The choral portion of the program will open with the combined choirs singing a sparkling arrangement of “Ding! Dong! Merrily on High” by Ryan Murphy. The individual choirs will sing holiday standards like “Jingle Bells,” sung by the BYU Singers, and “Away in a Manger,” by the BYU Women’s Chorus. Other selections will include some of the most notable carols written for choir such as “Welcome Yule” from “Salvator Mundi,” a carol sequence by William Mathias which will be sung by the BYU Men’s Chorus.

The BYU Choirs’ new music video for “Wishes and Candles,” by Stephen Paulus, will also premiere at the concert, featuring all four choirs. The video will also be available to view on Youtube on Dec. 1. Last year’s video, “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” can be seen here.

The BYU Philharmonic will open the orchestral half of the concert with selections from “The Nutcracker,” followed by one of the most popular orchestral Christmas pieces, “Sleigh Ride.”

The orchestra will be joined by Joshua Lindsay, vocal performance professor and director of opera for the BYU School of Music. Lindsay will sing “Ave Maria,” by Franz Schubert, and “Esta Noche,” a traditional Spanish Carol arranged by John Rutter.

The final number will be a gorgeous arrangement of “Silent Night” for combined choirs and orchestra by David Zabriskie. It is sure to be the perfect finale to an evening that will set audiences off feeling the spirit of the season.

As a special gift, the BYU Men’s Chorus wishes you a Merry Christmas with its newest free song download, “It Is Well with My Soul,” arranged by Lane Johnson. This annual tradition is a continuation of the choir’s free album of missionary hymns, “Set Apart.” The new song can be downloaded on Dec. 1 here.

Writer: Amanda Shrum

Celebration of Christmas poster art
Photo by BYU Photo

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