The Gala Holiday Concert was filled with festive cheer Saturday, Dec. 7, featuring tunes attendees could sing along with and get into the spirit of the season.
“The Gala started in 1995, and this year marks the 29th in-person Gala event. There was one virtual Gala in November of 2020,” said Jessica Turner, director of events and marketing.
All proceeds from the event supports student scholarships, helping music students financially. Everyone in the Department of Music, including students, contributed to making the concert a success.
“The Gala replaced a Madrigal-style dinner around 1990,” said Department of Music chair Dr. Glenn Hayes. “The Gala is the largest single scholarship fundraising event for the Department of Music. It is a tradition. The Gala has always been a performance focused on the holidays in December.”
Band Performances
The Gala featured nearly every ensemble in the Department of Music, with performances throughout the Center of the Arts.
“In addition to the performers on the stage, small ensembles perform before the concert, during intermission and afterward. We utilize the atrium, Kachel Room, The Young lobby, and Fern Young Terrance,” said Hayes, who also directed the Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
Percussion professor Toby Wilkinson explained how he found a collection of marimba quartet holiday music a few years ago. He decided the percussion ensemble would play it this year. Wilkinson added how wonderful it is to hear the great work being done by students and colleagues in various areas.
“I see Gala as a “collage” concert full of a myriad of different ensembles, instruments, and vocal groups,” said Wilkinson.
Saxophone professor Matt Sintchak added how his ensemble had performed at the Gala for over a decade and that he enjoys seeing alumni and retired faculty coming back to Whitewater to watch the concert. “My favorite piece this year was the ‘Christmas Jazz Suite,’ which is a fun arrangement of traditional Christmas songs.”
Trombone Ensemble and Brass Quintet director Carson King-Fournier emphasized the celebration of holiday music and how important it is, especially to the students. “While these arrangements can be difficult and showcase the skill and talent of each group, it also represents a chance for the students to have a diversion from their studies by playing fun Holiday tunes at the end of a long semester,” he said.
Jazz One has a tradition of performing Duke Ellington’s jazz arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” Director Dr. Michael Hackett expressed how he loved the tradition and looks forward to presenting the piece every year. “
Other featured groups included the Euphonium Ensemble, directed by John Tuinstra, which played selections from the “Tuba Christmas” collection, and the Chancellor’s Quartet, directed by Lianne Kelso. Both ensembles contributed to the festivities with their performances.
Choir Performances
The Gala Holiday Concert not only included performances from the bands, but also the choirs. Directed by Dr. Robert Gehrekbeck, Director of Choral Activities, the different choirs performed a variety of holiday music.
One piece that was performed by the Chamber Singers was titled “Samba de Neve,” or “Snow Samba.” Gehrenbeck explained how he contacted composer Ann Millikan, whose Brazilian heritage inspired the piece. “I decided to do the piece again this year for the Gala because I knew Chamber Singers would like it,” said Gehrenbeck. “It’s scored for choir, guitar and Brazilian percussion, and it’s super fun!”
The Harmonia Women’s Choir performed “Natal,” a Brazilian nativity song by Ernani Aguiar. They also performed two songs by José Maurício Nunes Garcia with the Chamber Singers and Whitewater Symphony Orchestra.
Hawk Kor, an all-bass-clef choral ensemble, performed pieces such as “Little Saint Nick” by the Beach Boys’ and “Merry Everything,” which director Brian Lepper describes as a “melting pot of nationalities, cultures and ethnicities” within the United States.
“I am the Coordinator of Inclusivity for the College of Arts and Communication, so I try to choose a diverse program whenever I can,” said Lepper. “This program is no exception.
The Vocal Jazz choir brought a twist to their performance: they sang the holiday classic “Mary Did You Know” as a cappella.
“I always look for some variety – typically one a cappella pop song and one swing tune we can sing with the Big Band,” said director Dr. Sharrii VanAlstine. “I want the audience to relate to the songs. ‘Mary Did You Know’ is an a cappella song that seems to pull on the heartstrings.”
At the end, the orchestra and choirs came together and performed classic holiday pieces such as “Deck the Halls,” “Joy to the World,” “Frosty the Snowman” and other pieces that audience members would recognise.
The Gala Holiday Concert is a tradition that is cherished by the Department of Music. It brings together musicians and those who love music from the campus and entire Whitewater community.
