'Collage': 18 Years of Joyous Holiday Sounds
Performance by UK Choirs and guest artists of "Betelehemu," the traditional closing number of their popular "Collage" concerts.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 1, 2015) — Get in the spirit of the season at the 18th annual "Collage" holiday concerts presented by University of Kentucky Choirs. Critically acclaimed vocalists and musicians from the UK School of Music and the Lexington community will take to the stage for this much awaited concert Dec. 5-6, at the Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall.
A holiday tradition in the Bluegrass, "Collage" is presented by the UK Choirs under the direction of Jefferson Johnson, director of UK Choral Activities, and Lori Hetzel, associate director of UK Choral Activities. The concerts showcase the department's highly celebrated student groups: UK Chorale, UK Choristers, UK Women's Choir and UK Men's Chorus, as well as the UK Choir's a cappella groups, the acoUstiKats, Paws and Listen, and Blue Note. The concert is fast-paced and a visually exciting program featuring the best of holiday music from around the world.
In addition to the UK Choirs, this season’s concerts will feature the Saxcats, a 10-piece ensemble made up of members of the UK Saxophone Studio, led by Director of UK Jazz Studies Miles Osland. The Saxcats will play their rendition of a soulful holiday classic.
Other UK faculty members performing in the concert include Schuyler Robinson, organist; Scott Wright, clarinetist; ToniMarie Marchioni, oboist; and Dieter Hennings, guitarist. Other UK ensembles scheduled to join in the entertainment are the GrassKats, the UK Steel Band, under the direction of UK Percussion Studies Director James Campbell, UK Trombone Quartet and the UK Holiday Clarinets.
In addition to showcasing the UK Choirs and musicians at UK School of Music, each year "Collage" features the rich talents of the Lexington arts community. This year’s concert is no exception as it will include performances by the Lexington Singers; the Lexington Singers Children's Choir, conducted by Hetzel and Daniel Wesley; the handbell ensemble Alluring, led by Patti Saunders; and the Lexington Christian Academy Women’s Choir, also conducted by Wesley.
The concerts' featured solo of "O Holy Night" will be sung by award-winning sopranos Shareese Arnold, a doctoral student from of Sheffield, Alabama, and Mary Catherine Wright, a vocal performance senior from Lexington, at the Dec. 5 and 6 concerts respectively. Both UK vocalists were among the winners of the Kentucky District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. They will be accompanied by more than 200 singers.
"Collage" graces the stage 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, at the Singletary Center. Tickets for "Collage" are $27 for adults and seniors, and $13 for students and children. Groups of 15 or more can get tickets for $22 per person. A handling fee will be added upon transaction. Tickets are available through the Singletary Center ticket office at 869-257-4929, online at www.scfatickets.com, or in person at the venue.
For more information on "Collage," contact Joseph Wrightson, administrative assistant to UK Choirs, at wrightson.joseph@gmail.com.
The UK School of Music in the UK College of Fine Arts has garnered national acknowledgment for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, composition, theory and music history.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu