Audiences will hear more than just Christmas tunes from three of OU choirs at the annual holiday performance.
Three Ohio University choral groups will serenade audiences in more than one style and language Friday at the Holiday Choral Concert at 8 p.m.
The annual performance will feature the Singing Men of Ohio, the Ohio University Singers and the Ohio Women’s Ensemble at First United Methodist Church.
SMO will perform first and sing traditional Christmas carols such as “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and “Deck the Halls.”
Audience members will have their chance to sing along to three other traditional Christmas songs as well throughout the performance.
However, holiday music is not all that will be performed at the concert.
The Ohio University Singers will perform a stylistic variety of tunes, including two hymns and an Estonian carol.
The Ohio Women’s Ensemble will not be performing any tunes that are holiday or winter themed. Instead, the group will be performing songs they have prepared for the group’s upcoming performance at the Ohio Music Education Association Conference.
The pieces the group will perform include several different pieces, including a Bulgarian folk song and a song written from an Emily Dickinson poem.
Paul Mayhew, director of the Women’s Ensemble, said the piece is the one he is most looking forward to performing is a Latin number featuring two violins, a bongo and a tambourine.
“It’s just an amazing piece of music,” Mayhew said. “It’s fairly newly composed … and it’s really hard, but the women have learned it really well. I can’t wait to perform it.”
Maggie Fahey, a senior studying music education and president of the Women’s Ensemble, said the selection of the pieces they will perform has been inspired completely by their goal of being selected to perform at the OMEA conference.
“This OMEA performance has really been a driver when it comes to our repertoire selection,” Fahey said. “So rather than choosing pieces to reflect seasonal concerts, Dr. Mayhew has chosen a set that works together to showcase different aspects of what the Women’s Ensemble can do.”
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Fahey also said the performance will be an emotional one for her, as a senior member who has seen the Women’s Ensemble grow tremendously during her time at OU.
“The end of this semester is a sort of emotional landmark for me as a senior member who has been around to see the incredible growth Women’s Ensemble has had together,” she said.
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