Annual holiday concert at Phillips features Handel’s ‘Hallelujah Chorus’

November 26, 2012

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Familiar holiday music will fill the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts’ auditorium for “Sounds of the Season,” showcasing the University of Florida College of Fine Arts at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Presented by UF President Bernie Machen and Chris Machen, this upbeat holiday concert will feature 300 performers, including singers from the UF Concert Choir, UF Women’s Chorale, UF Men’s Glee Club and the Gainesville Civic Chorus. Will Kesling, professor and program director in the UF School of Music, will direct the concert.

“This diverse holiday concert promises to be an entertaining and beautiful evening of your favorite seasonal music,” Kesling said. “We must thank President Machen for this wonderful seasonal gift—a delightful concert of comfort and joy.”

This year’s concert, subtitled “A Caroler’s Gift,” will open with a Christmas processional, “Gloria in excelsis Deo” and will close with George Frideric Handel’s majestic “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Tickets are free and will be distributed at the door beginning at 6 p.m., an hour before showtime. The 2011 concert reached audience capacity, so attendees are encouraged to arrive early to secure a seat. For more information, contact the UFPA box office at 352-2787.