Music ensembles to present Holiday Concert Sunday

Ripon College Music Department students perform at the Holiday Concert in December 2024.

The Ripon College Music Department will perform its annual Holiday Concert, with two performances Sunday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., in Great Hall of Ripon College’s Harwood Memorial Union.

All of the major music ensembles at Ripon College will perform. Tickets are free, but seating is limited, so reserve your tickets here. *Note: The 2 p.m. concert is sold out, but there may still be seats available at the door.

Doors will open 30 minutes before concert time with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Guitars, from the studio of Adjunct Professor of Music Christopher Cramer, will perform pre-concert rotunda music.
• Brass Ensemble, directed by Adjunct Professor of Music Jessica Jensen, will perform pre-concert carols.
• Orchestra, conducted by Adjunct Instructor of Music Yukiko Grine, will present “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin and arranged by Bruce Chase, and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” arranged by Jerry Brubaker.
• Chamber Singers, conducted by Assistant Professor of Music Paul Thompson, will perform “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” arranged by Russell Robinson, and “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” arranged by Kirby Shaw.
• Jazz Ensemble, directed by Adjunct Instructor of Music Paul Dietrich, will perform the traditional “Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming” arranged by Dietrich.
• Combined Choir Tenors and Basses, conducted by senior Rori Beatty, will perform “O Come O Come Emmanuel” arranged by Mark D. Templeton.
• Combined Choir Sopranos and Altos, conducted by Thompson and accompanied by Adjunct Instructor of Music Deb MacKenzie on piano, will perform “Glow” by Eric Whitacre.
• Jazz Combo, directed by Dietrich, will perform “Skating” by Vince Guaraldi.
• Combined Choirs, conducted by Thompson and accompanied by MacKenzie on piano, will perform “Gaudete,” arranged by Michael Neaum. Junior Matthew Buchholz will conduct “In the Bleak Midwinter” by Harold Darke with Associate Professor of Music Erin Bryan as the soprano soloist and Thompson as the tenor soloist.
• Symphonic Wind Ensemble, conducted by Assistant Professor of Music Toby Shucha, will play “The Joyful Rose of Winter” by J.S. Bach & Michael Praetorius, arranged by Randall Standridge. Senior Alec Marcinkevic will conduct “A Winter’s Journey” by Randall Standridge.

To conclude the concert, the combined ensembles invite the audience to partake in the “Ripon College Holiday Sing-a-Long” arranged by Kevin Padworski, commissioned specifically for the Ripon College holiday concerts.

“The Ripon College Holiday Concert is a special annual tradition,” Bryan said. “It’s a one-hour concert highlighting a whole host of ensembles from the music department, and it also is a rich opportunity to gather in celebration of art and togetherness during a time of year that can be both cold and lonely. Our ensembles feature students from all disciplinary backgrounds, and many of the groups are also town-and-gown in nature. Community is at the heart of who we are as a music program and as a broader institution, and what better way to celebrate that than with some sleigh bells and singing?”