December concerts at Messiah College celebrate the holiday season
November 7th, 2008
GRANTHAM, Pa. (Nov. 7, 2008) — The Messiah College School of the Arts will present numerous concerts this December to celebrate the holidays. The programs will feature festive arrangements showcasing various brass, wind, percussion, string and vocal ensembles. For ticket information, call (717) 691-6036.
Concert highlights
• Dec. 1, 8 p.m.
The Messiah College and Community Horn Choir and the Messiah College Percussion Ensemble will present a combined concert under the direction of Michael Harcrow, assistant professor of music, and David Knott, adjunct percussion lecturer at Messiah College. The Horn Choir will perform transcriptions of works by Mozart, Schubert and more. The Percussion Ensemble will present three diverse works: David Maslanka’s “Crown of Thorns,” David Gillingham’s “Sacrificial Rite” and Robert Cohen’s “Mysterious Transformation of Johann B” featuring Harrisburg area freelance clarinetist and music educator Nora Knott.
• Dec. 7, 4 and 8 p.m.
The Messiah College music department will present two Christmas concerts. The first concert will be at St. Lawrence Chapel, located at 110 State Street in Harrisburg, at 4 p.m. The second concert will be at 8 p.m. in Hostetter Chapel, located on the college’s Grantham campus. General admission is $10, $8 for seniors and $5 for students. The performances will feature the women’s ensemble, concert choir, chamber singers, men’s ensemble, brass quintets and the handbell choir (performing at campus concert only).
• Dec. 10 & 11, 8 p.m.
The Messiah College Chamber Music Groups will present two performances under the direction of Randall Zwally, director of guitar studies, featuring a wide variety of ensembles performing pieces written for woodwind, brass, strings and piano. The programs will be held in Poorman Recital Hall, located in the Climenhaga Fine Arts Center.
• Dec. 13, 2:30 p.m.
The Messiah College Guitar Ensemble and Mechanicsburg Middle School will present a combined concert under the direction of Randall Zwally, director of guitar studies at Messiah College, and Robin Setcavage, music teacher at Mechanicsburg Middle School. The theme of the performance will be traditional and international Christmas carols. Both ensembles will perform separately and then combine for a special finale of “Angels We Have Heard on High.” The program will be held in Hostetter Chapel on the college’s Grantham campus.
• Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m.
The United Voices of Praise will present a concert under the direction of Dwight Thomas, assistant professor of music, co-director Ernie Tilman and student conductors. The program featuring urban-style gospel music will be held in Miller Auditorium in the Climenhaga Fine Arts Center.
• Dec. 14, 7 p.m.
The Messiah College Music Nova will present a concert under the direction of Richard Roberson, dean of the School of the Arts, Dwight Thomas, associate professor of music, and Bruce Yurko, adjunct professor of music at Messiah College. The performance will feature compositions by Messiah College composers in variety of styles including classical, pop and avant-garde. The concert will be held in Poorman Recital Hall in the Climenhaga Fine Arts Center.
About Messiah College
Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls 2,800 undergraduate students in more than 60 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.