Weber State University students in the Department of Performing Arts (DPA) feel the Christmas spirit all through the semester while preparing for a wide variety of performances. Throughout the first couple weeks in December, there will be a number of concerts involving WSU performing art students. Here’s a list of a few of the events students will be participating in.
Dec. 1: WSU String Chamber Ensembles
This concert will kick off the DPA’s season of Christmas concerts. The WSU String Chamber Ensembles’ end-of-semester and Christmas recital will be held in the Garrison Choral Room, Room 136, in the Val A. Browning Center. The event will start at 7:30 p.m. and is free.
Dec. 5: Jazz Ensemble
The second concert to take place is the Jazz Ensemble’s end-of-semester and Christmas concert. This concert will be held in the Allred Theater in the Val A. Browning Center. Tickets cost $6 for students or $7 for the public and will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available in the Val A. Browning Center’s administrative office or online.
Dec. 7: WSU Choirs & Symphony Holiday Concert
Emma Steuart, Concert Choir class president, explained that this concert is a combination of the chamber choir and orchestra, along with WSU’s flute ensemble. Steuart said that those who plan on going should expect to see a variety of music that will come from other time periods, along with other styles that range from classical to contemporary.
According to Thomas Root, director of bands at WSU, this specific concert has been going on for 29 years.
This concert will take place at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on 24th Street and Adams Avenue in Ogden. There will be two times to choose from, 5:30 p.m. or 8:00 p.m.. The cost will be $7 for students and $8 for everyone else.
“In the St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the acoustics in there are some of the best you’ll hear,” Steuart said. Besides the music that will be playing, Root particularly enjoys the stained glass that is featured in the cathedral.
Steuart explained that this concert will be a great start to the Christmas season and those who decide to go should expect to feel uplifted and enlightened. “I think students will be impressed by their peers; I think they are going to be wowed that their peers can do just a phenomenal job,” Steuart said.
Dec. 8: WSU String Project Concert
The WSU String Project Concert will take place at the Austad Auditorium at the Val A. Browning Center. The String Program allows WSU string students to share their love of music with other students through teaching.This event will be free and will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 12: WSU Chamber Choir Holiday Concert
The WSU Chamber Choir will hold their holiday concert at the Kaysville Tabernacle on Friday, Dec. 12. Featuring full choir numbers, small group numbers and solos, the WSU Chamber Choir Holiday Concert will start at 7:30 p.m. and will be open and free to anyone.
“There will be a huge variety of music from the last several hundred years,” Root said.
Dec. 13: WSU High School Honor Band
The last event from WSU’s DPA will involve the High School Honor Band, which will also be held at the Austad Auditorium in the Val A. Browning Center. It will start at 4:00 p.m. and is free for all.
Mark Henderson, director of Choral Studies, explained that the guest performer will be the WSU Wind Ensemble.
“It’s one of our biggest recruitment events of the year,” Henderson said. There will be more than 100 high school students who will perform from Utah and other states.
According to Henderson, those who attend concert will be able to hear some good Christmas music, meet new people and be able to see some of the new freshmen who will be attending WSU.
This article was updated Dec. 2 to correct the titles of Thomas Root and Mark Henderson.
