KINGSTON, R.I. – Nov. 19, 2024 – If you want some music to put you in the holiday spirit, the University of Rhode Island’s Holiday Extravaganza will do just that. On Saturday, Dec. 7, URI professor of collaborative piano David Gilliland will be coordinating a holiday concert for all to get ready for the season. 

The extravaganza will be a musical double-header with one concert at 2 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m. on Dec. 7.  Both concerts will be in the Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Center. Admission is $25 for the general public and $15 for students and faculty.  

Combining seven different URI music ensembles – a total of nearly 200 musicians – the holiday show will be the first time that all of them have performed on the stage together, Gilliland said. The ensembles taking part are the University chorus, Concert Choir, In the Pocket Jazz Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble, and the Jazz Big Band. This is the first time the Guitar Ensemble will be added.

All of the music that will be performed at the Holiday Extravaganza will be holiday themed, the goal is to be inclusive, combining music from Hanukkah, Christmas, with secular holiday songs.  

“Musicians enjoy performing it, audiences enjoy hearing it,” said Gilliland. “It’s kind of that comfort music for musicians often because it’s something we all know very well.” 

This year for the extravaganza, the ensemble directors were looking for music that was somewhat off the beaten path, ranging from music from the Renaissance all the way up to current compositions, to expand the variety of song choices. As there was last year, the concert will feature a sing along allowing the audience to join in on traditional Christmas carols, Gilliland said. 

The master of ceremonies is professional storyteller and Rhode Island native Valerie Tutson. She was specifically asked to participate in the big finale, which is a medley from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Tutson will be the narrator as all of the ensembles and choirs perform with her. 

Graduate assistant Keith Brown, a conductor for the orchestra, will conduct several pieces at the Holiday Extravaganza. 

This is the second year the Music Department will host the Holiday Extravaganza. Last year’s event was a great success. Gilliland is excited for what’s to come in this year’s performance. 

Concert Choir director and department chair Mark Conley said, “Last year’s holiday concert was very successful, and we were glad to see so many audience members come and experience a sampling of all our music department has to offer.” 

Other upcoming shows

While the Holiday Extravaganza will bring together most of the University’s music ensembles on one stage, each ensemble will wrap up the fall semester with their own shows. Some of the concerts will share music that is on the holiday theme, and not all concerts will take place at URI’s campus. 

On Monday, Nov. 25, In The Pocket Jazz Choir led by Atla DeChamplain will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center. 

Brian Cardany’s Concert Band will be performing on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 3:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center. The band program is a general mix of core wind band works and newer works by active composers of prominence.  

“The program ends with ‘Snakes!,’ which is a light-hearted piece that includes sound effects and verbalizations by the band members, it’s fun to perform and a real crowd pleaser,” Cardany said. 

On Thursday, Dec. 5, Cardany and the Wind Ensemble will perform at the Fine Arts Center at 4 p.m. The Wind Ensemble has two pieces that are closely related, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Goodnight” and “Life Dances.” “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Goodnight” will present the defiant approach to death and “Life Dances” is a three-part work that celebrates life. 

​​The final two pieces of the Wind Ensemble program provide an entertaining way to finish the somewhat serious concert; both pieces will also be performed during the Holiday Extravaganza. 

There is no comprehensive theme for the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band concernts. “My primary goals this semester have been to include music that is a good fit for the respective strengths of each ensemble as well as providing a variety of musical styles to keep each program engaging for both the players and the audience,” Cardany said.

URI’s University Chorus and Symphony Orchestra will perform a winter concert on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. The University Chorus, conducted by Elizabeth Woodhouse and accompanied by pianist Nathaniel Baker, will present three pieces related by the theme of darkness and light.

Some of the pieces that will be included in the performance will be Brahms’ “o schöne Nacht” (O lovely night) and two contemporary pieces by composers Elaine Hagenberg and Kyle Pederson. The chorus will also perform two contrasting holiday pieces: “Gaudete,” likely composed in the 14th century and “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree,” by Elizabeth Poston.

Ethan Weiner, a junior sports media major and PR minor at the University of Rhode Island and an intern in the Department of Communications and Marketing, wrote this press release.