The sounds of the holidays will be emanating out of Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium on Saturday night.
The concert, titled “Gloria! Holiday Music from Russia and Beyond,” will feature the Ohio University Symphony Orchestra and the combined choirs, which include the Singing Men of Ohio, the Women’s Chorale, OU Singers and the Choral Union.
“We’re really trying an ambitious type of program,” said Steven Huang, director of university orchestras. “Like all concerts, it is to have a good time, it is to entertain and relax and basically celebrate the first time we are approaching the holiday season (while at OU).”
The concert will also feature a guest conductor, Mihai Agafita, from the Republic of Moldova, who was able to visit OU using the Arts for Ohio grant.
Agafita will be conducting the symphony orchestra through selections of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet and Christmas staple “The Nutcracker.”
Huang has a connection and friendship that started with Agafita when they studied in Romania together, where they participated in conducting classes under the same teacher.
The combined choirs will showcase a variety of songs from different cultures and belief systems.
Daniel Hall, the director of choral studies, said that the choirs and orchestra would then come together and perform two other famous works, Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and “A Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s piece “Messiah.” During this section of the concert, audience participation will be encouraged; the song lyrics will be put on screens to make it a more interactive experience.
Celia Tice, a member of the Women’s Chorale and a sophomore studying middle childhood education, said the audience participation will create a collaborative community experience.
“I think the overall goal is to really create a community kind of response,” Hall said. “We’ve got these great people coming in and it is going to be some great music just to put us in the sprit of the season a little bit.”
ds834910@ohiou.edu
If You Go:
What: Gloria! Holiday Music from Russia and Beyond
Where: Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Admission: Free
