WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Celebrate the sounds of the season during upcoming performances by the Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) University/Community and Jazz Bands.
The University/Community Band will perform at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at the West Plains Civic Center theater. The event is being co-sponsored by the West Plains Council on the Arts, which received partial funding for the project from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
The Jazz Band will perform at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 in the Carol Silvey Student Union at Hass-Darr Hall.
Admission to the performances is free; however, donations to the program will be accepted, university officials said.
More about the music
According to Director of Music Rocky Long, the Dec. 2 performance will feature a selection of Christmas and holiday favorites, including:
- “Veni, Veni” arranged by Chip Davis and adapted by Longfield. This arrangement of the tune “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is from the Mannheim Steamroller album “A Fresh Aire Christmas.”
- “Christmas on Broadway” by John Higgins. This is a medley of songs from the Christmas show by the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, including “God Bless Us Everyone,” “It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas,” “March of the Toys,” “My Favorite Things,” “Pine Cones and Holly Berries,” “Toyland” and “We Need a Little Christmas.”
- “Christmas Vacation” by Barry Mann and Cynthia Well and arranged by Patrick Roszell from the popular holiday movie of the same name.
- “Songs of Joy” by Justin Williams, including “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” and the chorale finale from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, “Ode to Joy.” “The arrangement is a very upbeat and contemporary treatment of these two songs,” Long said.
-
“Christmas Fantastique” by Victor Lopez featuring a compilation of classic Christmas melodies including “Frosty the Snowman,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Up on the Housetop” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”
The Dec. 5 performance, Long said, will be a relaxing evening of jazz featuring many Christmas and holiday favorites.
More about MSU-WP’s Music Program
The University/Community Band is a traditional concert band ensemble whose membership includes MSU-WP students, high school students, community members and music educators. The band performs two concerts per semester and rehearses from 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays at Putnam Hall on the MSU-WP campus when classes are in session. Members can earn college credit for playing in the group if they are registered for the course.
In addition to the University/Community Band, MSU-WP’s Music Program offers a jazz ensemble, pep band, small ensembles and private lessons.
For more information about the program, contact Long at RockyLong@MissouriState.edu or call 417-255-7291.
Advertisement
