Choral Union and Symphony Orchestra, along with other OU music groups, are set to play classics and holiday music at MemAud Tuesday night.
Holiday music is typically the backdrop to many people’s lives this holiday season, from tunes on the radio to songs in department stores. But for some students, perfecting holiday songs is at the top of their to-do list.
The annual Choral and Orchestral Holiday concert will occur 8 p.m. Tuesday at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium and will feature Choral Union, Symphony Orchestra, Ohio University Singers, Singing Men of Ohio and Women’s Ensemble.
Christmastime is the only time choral music has a place on the radio, said Grant Johnson, a junior studying music business and a member of SMO and University Singers. The audience will experience different types of orchestral and choral music associated with the holiday season, from traditional carols to jingles.
“It’s more of a relaxed feel mixed with a traditional, classical feel,” said John Obringer, a sophomore studying music education and a singer in Choral Union and SMO. “There should be something for everyone there, especially given the holiday mood right after Thanksgiving Break. It’s a good way of taking a break from studying for exams.”
Choral Union and Symphony Orchestra will start off the show together and will perform all 12 movements from J. S. Bach’s “Magnificat.” The piece will feature faculty members from the School of Music, Obringer said.
The piece is very complex and is one of the first pieces Bach wrote in Leipzig, Germany. It contains many melismas, which is a singular vowel that might have 30 or 40 different notes layered together, said Katie Malott, a freshman studying music education and a member of Choral Union.
Among other pieces, the Symphony Orchestra will play a separate piece called “Air on the G String” by J. S. Bach in honor of the late Richard Syracuse, a professor emeritus who taught keyboard within Ohio University’s School of Music, said Steven Huang, associate professor of instrumental conducting and conductor of the Symphony Orchestra.
“It’s extremely peaceful,” said Lukas Scheiffarth, a senior studying finance and music and a violinist in Symphony Orchestra. “If you hear it, you’ll know it. It’s a somber piece but awesome to play. It gives you goose bumps.”
The other choral groups plan on bringing holiday music to the MemAud stage during the second half of the show.
The University Singers is performing two pieces, one of which being “Darkest Midnight in December” by Stephen Main.
“It features a celesta, which is a keyboard instrument that sounds like bells,” Johnson said. “It’s perfect for the holidays.”
University Singers will also perform a traditional carol “Masters in This Hall” arranged by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw.
SMO is performing a spiritual as well as “Fum, Fum, Fum” arranged by Howard
Helvey, which is a Spanish choral piece featuring two pianos playing together at the same time, Johnson said.
The show ends with all five groups combining for the last piece, the “Triumphal March and Chorus” from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Aida.” It’s a “loud, abrasive and in-your-face” piece which is fun to sing, Johnson said.
Scheiffarth said the show is a good way for people to get away from the stress of finals and to clear their mind.
“It’s a nice little cherry on top of the semester,” he added.
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