Students share sounds of the holiday season

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WORTHINGTON — Do you have “Santa Fever?” Or perhaps last week’s blizzard has you in the mood for a “Jamaican Noel?”

From jingle bells to sleigh rides, the sounds of the holiday season will fill the Worthington High School gymnasium on Monday as musicians from the middle school and high school present their annual Festival of Music.

“What’s nice about this concert is it’s a chance to give back,” said WHS band director Jon Loy. “It’s free admission, so it’s kind of (our) gift to the community.”

The Festival of Music will also be broadcast live on WGTN Channel 3 and on the radio at 93.5 The Breeze.

The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. with performances by Worthington Middle School students.

“Each of the choirs will be doing two pieces,” explained WMS choir director Cindy Anderson. “One of the sixth-grade pieces is called “Santa Fever,” and that’s kind of a little holiday piece with choreography harkening back to the days of disco.”

The seventh-graders will perform “Carol of the Kings” and “Angels Sing.”

Eighth-graders will sing “Lights of December” and “Tambourine Noel.”

“(The eighth-graders) have just started doing four-part harmony, so both of those pieces are in four-part harmony (soprano, alto, tenor, bass),” Anderson said.

All three middle school choirs will perform Fred Bock’s “Peace, Peace, Peace” at the conclusion of their part of the concert and will call for the audience to join in by singing “Silent Night.”

“I hope that it gets some people into the merriment of the season,” Anderson said. “Christmas is sometimes hard for lots of people, so hopefully this will lighten and brighten their spirit.”

The 47-member Worthington Middle School Orchestra will perform “Dance of the Tumblers,” “A Christmas Canon,” and “Jingle Bell Rock” under the direction of Melanie Loy.

The sixth-grade band, under the direction of Mike Anderson, will play “Drummer’s Christmas Carol,” “Home for the Holidays” and “Frosty the Snowman,” while the seventh- and eighth-grade band will perform “In Dulci Jubilo,” “Joyous Yuletide” and “Jingle Bells Upside Down.”

At 8 p.m., the Worthington High School musicians will perform. The 30-member orchestra will play “Hopak,” “All is Well,” “Wizards in Winter,” and “Bugler’s Holiday” featuring senior violinists Amber Kelley, Allison Jaycox and Joe Christensen.

The Trojan Concert Band, under the direction of Jon Loy, will play “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” “Christmas Pastorale,” “The Polar Express (medley)” and “Sleigh Ride.”

“We have a couple of holiday repeats that we do every year,” Loy said. “’Sleigh Ride’ — that’s fun for the older set or the seasoned listeners; and ‘Polar Express,’ the younger folks can identify with that.”

The Trojan Choir, under the direction of Kerry Johnson, will sing “Everywhere Christmas Tonight,” “Nanita Lullaby,” “Various Themes on Fa la la” and “Jamaican Noel.” The Concert Choir will perform “Sleigh Bells,” “The Winter’s Night,” “Mid-Winter,” “Carol of the Bells” and “Betelehemu.”

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