Laredo Phil Brings Holiday Cheer to TAMIU Sunday

The Laredo Phil will present the sounds of the holiday season this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in Texas A&M International University’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts  (CFPA) Recital Hall.

Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for Seniors.  Students and children are welcome at no charge.

The holiday concert will include bell ringing, sleigh bells, carolers singing, and the many traditions that go hand in hand with the season.  Special pre-concert Christmas musical offerings by the Philharmonic Youth Orchestra will begin at 2:30 p.m.  A brass quintet from TAMIU will also perform carols in the CFPA lobby. Joining the Laredo Phil will be the  TAMIU Chamber Singers to lead caroling and perform John Rutters' magnificent "Jesus Child" and Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from “Messiah.” The United Methodist Church Memorial Bells will perform a unique work for Handbell choir and orchestra, “Joyous Noel” by Steven Amundson.  TAMIU voice instructor Dana Crabtree will indulge jazz influences with “Reindeer Rock.”

The concert opens with a staple of the orchestral holiday concert, Leroy Anderson's “Christmas Festival,” followed by Corelli's Concerto Grosso op. 6 No. 8 (“The Christmas Concerto”). The Waltz from “The Nutcracker Suite” closes out the opening half of the program.          An interesting feature of Sunday’s concert is the various blends of styles and influences from traditional, Baroque and Romantic era works, to the jazzy sounds of “Sleigh Ride” and “Reindeer Rock.” One popular combination featured will be the glorious sound of the Sharkey Corrigan Organ performed by TAMIU’s Dr. Larysa Davis with the Laredo Philharmonic Brass Quintet.

Much of the music of the second half is composed or arranged by Steven Amundson, famous for leading the Annual Christmas Festival at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. This festival performance is regularly broadcast on National Public Radio and these arrangements have received performances across the country.

For more information, please visit www.laredophil.com

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu