Tickets going fast for UK Choirs' 'Collage'
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 22, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Choirs celebrates the 26th annual holiday concert, “Collage: A Holiday Spectacular,” Dec. 2-3, at the Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall.
“Collage” is a time-honored holiday tradition for Central Kentucky audiences.
“Since the first ‘Collage’ concert in 1998, over 5,000 students have participated,” says Jefferson Johnson, D.M.A., director of Choral Activities at UK. “Over the past 25 years, ‘Collage’ has become a holiday tradition for thousands of families throughout the Bluegrass. Many people tell us that the concert kicks off their holiday season each year.”
This fast-paced and visually exciting concert features more than 500 celebrated vocalists and musicians from the UK School of Music and the Lexington Singers Children’s Choir.
“Collage” is presented by the UK Choirs under the direction of Johnson, Lori Hetzel, D.M.A., associate director of the School of Music, and Beth Wilson, D.M.A, lecturer in choral music. The concerts showcase the choral program’s highly praised student groups: UK Chorale, UK Choristers, UK Treble Choir and UK Men's Chorus, as well as the UK Choirs’ a cappella groups, the acoUstiKats, Paws & Listen and Blue Note.
Along with the UK Choirs, this season’s concerts will feature performances by:
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Faculty Brass Quintet (Jason Dovel, associate professor; part-time instructor and alumna Abby Temple; Melanie Kjellsen, visiting assistant professor; Bradley Kerns, associate professor; and lecturer Brandon A. Smith);
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Professor Dieter Hennings on guitar;
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UK Trombone Quartet led by Kerns;
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UK Tuba-Euphonium Quartet led by Brandon A. Smith;
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SaxCats led by Professor Miles Osland;
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UK Blue Steel, a steel drum band led by visiting lecturer Josh Smith;
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UK Holiday Clarinets led by Associate Professor Scott Wright;
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crowd favorite, the Grasscats, a bluegrass band led by Johnson; and
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at the organ will be UK Choirs alumnus Robert Vanover.
This year the program will include a special performance of “O Holy Night” sung by soprano and UK Choirs alumna Mary Catherine Beath.
“I am so honored to be back on the Singletary stage with the directors and choirs that helped to mold me — both as a person and a performer,” says Beath, “Being a part of UK Choirs was the highlight of my undergraduate career. It's good to be home!”
While studying at UK, Beath sang in the choir for “Collage” concerts and returns this year as a featured soloist. In addition to a professional vocal career, she currently serves as the gifted and talented voice teacher for Scott County Public Schools in Georgetown.
In addition to showcasing the UK Choirs and musicians at the UK School of Music, each year “Collage” features the rich talents of the Lexington arts community. UK will welcome back to the stage the Lexington Singers Children’s Choir, conducted by UK Choirs alumni Daniel Wesley and Taylor Strickland. The program will also include appearances by special guest choirs from George Rogers Clark High School, Lafayette High School and Franklin County High School.
“Collage” will ring in the holiday season beginning 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, at the Singletary Center Concert Hall. Please note that the Sunday, Dec. 3, performance is SOLD OUT. Adult tickets are $42/$20 for students (additional processing fees may apply online) and can be purchased at SingletaryCenter.com, by phone at 859-257-4929, or visiting the SCFA Ticket Office in person.
BUYER BEWARE
Be cautious when purchasing tickets online — many resale websites seem like a convenient option but can be risky. The Singletary Center does not offer verified resale and cannot guarantee the validity of tickets purchased through a third party. Etix.com is the official ticketing provider for SCFA.
Secure your seats and avoid the risks of inflated prices or fraudulent tickets by purchasing directly from the Singletary Center Ticket Office online at SingletaryCenter.com, by phone at 859-257-4929, or visiting the box office in person.
The School of Music at UK College of Fine Arts has garnered a national reputation for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, music therapy, composition, and theory and music history.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.