Editor’s note: The following information has been submitted by the UW-Whitewater College of Arts and Communication, Department of Music.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is pleased to announce the return of the Gala Holiday Concert to Young Auditorium this weekend, Saturday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m.
An annual tradition and the largest fundraiser of the year for the music department, all proceeds benefit the Music Scholarship Fund. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at tickets.uww.edu or by calling 262-472-2222. Donations can be made by going online to uww.edu/givemusic.
Masks are required for anyone entering a campus building. Do not come to campus if you are ill. For the most up to date campus safety information, visit: uww.edu/warhawks-are-back.
Now more than ever, both students and faculty are profoundly grateful for music and performing live for audiences. An annual tradition, the Gala Holiday Concert features works from nearly every student ensemble in the department, from the Whitewater Symphony Orchestra to the Clarinet Ensemble. This year’s program will include selections from “The Nutcracker” arranged by Duke Ellington, selections from “Handel’s Messiah”, “Polar Night” by Nebojsa Macura, “Festive Fanfare” by Brian Balmages and more. For the full concert line up, view the program.
Tickets for the Gala Holiday Concert will be sold in seats of two with one seat left open in between. Attendees in larger groups will be able to move closer to each other during the performance to form their own “pod” section. In a typical year the Gala Benefit Concert produces over $20,000 in scholarship funds for the department. Last year, donors were to thank for the funds raised.
“The financial impact of the pandemic has not been lost on us,” department chair Mike Dugan said. “For last year’s event we were still able to raise funds through the recorded event and the immense generosity of our supporters. I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank each and every single person who made a donation for scholarships last year; our students are grateful and we couldn’t have done it without you,” he added.
Before the concert, during intermission, and following the mainstage music are small ensembles playing throughout the buildings. These include the Percussion Ensemble, Baroque Ensemble, Singing Sirens & Meistersingers, Clarinet Ensemble, Chancellor’s Quartet, Flute Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, Schubert Trout Quintet and the Student Brass Quintet. These ensembles are entirely made up of students in the Department of Music and they’ll be showcasing their talents in the Young Auditorium Lobby, the Fern Young Terrace, the Greenhill Center of the Arts Atrium and more.
Three photos above: Music fills the halls both inside and outside of the Young Auditorium as musicians perform during a previous year’s Gala Holiday Concert event. Contributed photos/Craig Schreiner.
This post has already been read 1213 times!
