Sounds of the Season Performances Set for December 6, 8 and 9

Emilie Jenson, Public Information Office
12/1/2023

The talented musicians at Iowa Central will return to the stage for their annual Sounds of the Season concerts this December.

This year’s concerts will again feature separate performances of both the vocal and instrumental departments due to ongoing construction in Decker Auditorium.

On Wednesday December 6 at 2 p.m. a matinee performance featuring Encore Singers, Pop Voices, Vocal Jazz and the Triton Singers along with soloists, guest musicians and a string quartet will get you in that holiday spirit in the Auditorium of the Bioscience and Health Sciences Building. An encore performance of the vocal concert will also be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday December 9.

The instrumental concert, featuring the Iowa Central Concert Band, Jazz Band, Brass Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday December 8.

The instrumental concert will open with the Jazz Band, who will take audience members on a journey home for the holidays with their set of familiar jazz, pop and traditional holiday tunes including “Blues Fure Elise,” a jazz waltz based on Beethoven's well-known classical masterpiece; “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” a smooth rock tune made popular by Steely Dan; “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Home For the Holidays” and “Sweet Home Chicago,” a popular blues standard by Robert Johnson.

The Percussion Ensemble will perform “Thundersnow” by Chad Heiny, a tune that is described as both “bold as a thunderstorm and delicate as falling snow,” Chris Cockarell’s “Comic Relief,” a rhythmic piece filled with riddles and punchlines; and close with Gary Gackstatter’s not so traditional arrangement of the familiar tune “Carol of the Bells.”

The Brass Ensemble will play a set including the popular Hawaiian Christmas tune “Mele Kalikimaka, Silent Nigh and the theme song to Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas:” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”

The concert band will continue on the holiday journey with “Polar Express Special Delivery,” a mashup featuring “Believe” from the 2004 Tom Hanks movie “The Polar Express,” excerpts from Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” and “On the Overland Stage to ElPaso” by David Holsinger, and back to the Polar Express with “When Christmas Comes to Town” and Spirit of the Season.”

The program will close with a performance of “A Most Wonderful Christmas,” a medley including “Winter Wonderland,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

The instrumental ensembles are under the direction of Paul Bloomquist and Jeremy Smith.

The vocal concerts feature a large variety of holiday favorites on the program including “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” performed by the Triton Singers, and “Christmastime is Here” from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by Vocal Jazz. The Encore Singers will perform several pieces, including “That Christmas Morning Feeling,” the theme from Will Ferrell’s not-so-well-known Christmas movie, “Spirited.” The men’s ensemble, Triton Eight, will sing “Mary Did You Know,” and Pop Voices will perform the Pentatonix’s arrangement of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

The vocal concert will close with all combined ensembles performing “These Bells Will Ring,” by Bitter’s Kiss and Blue Stone.

All concerts are free and open to the public. A reception with refreshments will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. before Friday and Saturday’s performances.