Commonwealth University-Mansfield to Present Holiday Concerts
MANSFIELD, Pa. (11/13/2023) — The Commonwealth University-Mansfield music department will present the annual holiday choral concerts on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 3, at 2:30 p.m. in Steadman Theatre.
More than 100 singers and instrumentalists will perform in the five university choirs: Grace Notes, Steadman Singers, Festival Chorus, Chamber Singers and Concert Choir.
Peggy Dettwiler, producer and director, has programmed music from historical classics to popular favorites that celebrate the seasons of Winter, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. The audience will enjoy singing familiar holiday carols with organ accompaniment by Randy Frye. The program will also feature three student conductors: Greta Nappa, of Newton, New Jersey: Nicole Orlando, of Mountain Top; and Carson Witherite, of Mount Pleasant Mills.
The theme for the concerts, "Decorate Your Heart," provides the opportunity to present uplifting choral works with arrangements of the familiar carol, "Deck the Hall," and songs about bringing joy and love to the world. The motto, Decorate Your Heart, which will open the program, is taken from an original composition by Rachael Karwowski, a recent Mansfield music program graduate. The finale will feature singers encircling the auditorium performing Glen Rudolph's "The Dream Isaiah Saw" with brass, organ and percussion accompanying.
The performances are open to the public. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, students and children. CU-Mansfield students will be admitted free of charge when they show their student ID. Tickets are available online at Mansfield.booktix.net.