PUHI — Island School’s three choral ensembles, together comprising the Island School Chorus, will take the stage Wednesday, Dec. 11 at the Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center to present their 12th annual winter concert.
“Merry Glitzmas!” showcases over 110 Island School students in grades four to 12 performing a range of Christmas music designed to delight and entertain an audience of all ages and musical tastes.
“The prep period leading up to a major concert is always very exciting,” said choral director Philip Steinbacher. “And this year has been no different. This concert, I believe, highlights the strengths of the individual ensembles. Students in these groups, from grades four through 12, have been preparing since August for this performance, and the music represents some pretty compelling and challenging repertoire.”
The three ensembles are Island School Alaka‘i Chorus, Island School ‘Opio Chorus and Island School Keiki Chorus.
He said preparing for the December concert is often a daunting task, as the school gets a significant number of new students at the beginning of each year. And the enrollment in chorus changes dramatically from year to year.
“I have to select Christmas music in the summer based on my guesstimate of who will join and how many students there will be,” he said. “I have to purchase and prepare music before students arrive in August in order to be ready for a December concert. The groups this year are all very strong, and I’m delighted to have so many singers this time around! Our ‘Opio Chorus, with 49 members this year, is our largest middle-school ensemble ever.”
“Merry Glitzmas!” features holiday music of various time periods, styles and genre, including tried-and-true traditional as well as new pieces.
“This concert is fun, heart-warming and, above all — I hope — inspiring,” Steinbacher said. “The students’ performances continue to illustrate the power of music to inspire and change us. Music, after all, should exalt us.”
“Merry Glitzmas!” is accompanied by Benjamin Nause.
The concert is set for 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for youth.
Tickets are available at bit.ly/merryglitzmas and, if space permits, at the door.
