According to the lyrics of “The Christmas Waltz,” “It’s that time of year when the world falls in love. Every song you hear seems to say: ‘Merry Christmas, may all your New Year’s dreams come true.” The IU Kokomo Cougar Choir took these lyrics to heart with its annual Sounds of the Season holiday concert, which was on Dec. 10 and 12 in Havens Auditorium.
Highlights of this musical holiday celebration included a trip back to the Victorian era with classics like “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen,” “Good King Wenceslas,” and “The Holly and the Ivy”: a performance of “Once Upon a December” from the beloved animated film Anastasia, and a variety of soloists including The Correspondent’s own faculty advisor Erin Doss and layout editor Madeline Sinnamon. The winter concert gives the singers more opportunities to sing solos, and this year was no exception, according to director Wendy Grice.
“The first half of the concert consisted of some winter classics, such as ‘The Christmas Waltz,’ ‘Walking in The Air’ from the cartoon The Snowman, ‘Carol of the Bells,’ and a haunting arrangement of ‘See Amid the Winter’s Snow’ by Dan Forrest that was accompanied by a string quartet,” Grice said. “This year, we decided to use the theme of a Victorian Holiday for the second half of the concert. We wore Victorian costumes, portrayed vignettes and poems, and sung well-known arrangements of six Victorian era carols. Finally, we closed the concert with a special performance of ‘Grown-Up Christmas List’ as a Christmas wish for the world.”
Following the same pursuit as the Cougar Choir was the IU Kokomo/Community Band with their own holiday concert on Dec. 11 in Havens Auditorium. The band performed holiday favorites such as “O Holy Night” and a medley of the music from the classic Christmas film The Polar Express, in addition to some other music relating to the holiday season such as “Midnight Sleigh Ride” and a collection of Hanukkah songs.
“My desire to do a holiday concert came from my desire to reach out to the community,” director John Pinson said. “With the increased number of students this semester, I thought this was a great opportunity to represent the band to the public.”
Music is the best way to celebrate the holiday season because there are so many unique songs to listen to. Whether they are sung by a choir or performed by a band, holiday music gives us the chance to experience traditions from the past and present.
If you are interested in joining either the Cougar Choir or the IU Kokomo/Community Band next semester, please contact Wendy Grice ([email protected]) for more information. Choir practices are every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00 to 5:15 in the observatory. The theme of the concert next semester is Best of Broadway II, which is a continuation of Best of Broadway from the spring of 2021. Band practices are every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:00 in Kresge Auditorium. The theme of the band concerts will be determined at the first rehearsal.
