The Ballard High School music program brings a sparkle to your holiday season with their Winter Concert Series December 18, 19, and 20. Enjoy three free nights of spectacular performances by the award-winning BHS Choir, Band, and Orchestra programs. Each evening will culminate in a masterwork performance with a full symphonic orchestra and choir featuring selections from Handel’s Messiah. You won’t want to miss the biggest night of music of the year! Each performance begins at 7:30 p.m.

Choral-Orchestral Masterwork, Handel’s Messiah, Dec 18, 19 and 20: Each evening of the concert series will culminate in a performance of selections from Handel’s Messiah, one of the most well-known oratorios in the English-speaking world. The performance will feature four movements, beginning with the orchestral Introit, moving on to And the Glory of the Lord and For Unto Us a Child is Born, and then concluding with the glorious Hallelujah chorus. The Wind Ensemble, Concert Choir, and Chamber Orchestra will combine for this finale performance, featuring more than 200 students on stage.

Choir Concert, Tuesday, December 18  
Director Courtney Rowley will lead the choirs in presentations of Felix Mendelssohn’s beautiful Laudate Pueri, John Gardner’s adaptation of the traditional English carol Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, and Allan Naplan’s stunning Schlof Main Kind, a Yiddish lullaby for women’s choir and cello. Concert Choir will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Bogoroditse Devo, from his magnificent All-Night Vigil. This Russian Orthodox masterpiece was written in 1915 and is considered Rachmaninoff's finest accomplishment. The evening will also include holiday favorites Ding Dong Merrily on High, Santa Baby, and All I Want for Christmas is You. Selections from the Choral-Orchestral Masterwork, Handel’s Messiah, will be performed after an intermission.

Band Concert, Wednesday, December 19 
Director Michael James will lead the Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble in a wonderful evening of a varied repertoire. Concert Band will perform Let My Spirit Sing by Julie Giroux and Olympus by Barry Kopetz. Symphonic Band will perform Undertow by John Mackey, which features a strong percussion section and exciting, driving rhythms; Lassus Trombone by Henry Fillmore, which will feature the entire trombone section; and a wonderful arrangement of Greensleeves by Alfred Reed. The Wind Ensemble will close their portion of the concert with the fresh harmonies of Hold This Boy and Listen by contemporary composer Carter Pan; the third movement of William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony; and the winter favorite Sleigh Ride. Selections from the Choral-Orchestral Masterwork, Handel’s Messiah, will be performed after an intermission.

Orchestra Concert, Thursday, December 20  
To start the night, the BHS Fiddlers will knock your socks off with a hard-driving set of danceable fiddle tunes. Next, the Symphonic Orchestra, under the direction of Elizabeth Fortune, will present two classics for string orchestra: Frances L. Feese’s mixed meter, mixed texture Contrasts in E Minor, and the famous and celebratory Andante Festivo by Jean Sibelius. The monster bass section is also preparing to light up the night with a super-secret bass-ensemble surprise. The Chamber Orchestra will perform a movement from Carl Nielsen’s Little Suite for Strings, Movement II: Intermezzo - a wonderful piece evoking childhood holiday cheer. They will follow that with their exciting second installment of Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings, with a performance of Movement III: Scherzo. The combined Symphonic and Chamber Orchestras will feature the tune Sky Pond, written by violinist and composer Andy Reiner from Colorado, who spent an afternoon with the performers working on laying down the groove and improvising over it. The piece will also feature improvised student solos. Selections from the Choral-Orchestral Masterwork, Handel’s Messiah, will be performed after an intermission.

Performance Details

All performances will be at the Earl Kelly Center for Performing Arts at Ballard High School,
1418 NW 65th Street, Seattle, Washington, 98117. Concerts begin at 7:30 P.M.

Tickets

Admission is free. If you would like to make a donation to Ballard Performing Arts, you can reserve seats in these crowded concerts. Tickets for reserved seating may be purchased online at https://showtix4u.com; Look at upcoming events and search for “Ballard Choir Winter Concert”, etc.

About Ballard Performing Arts

The award-winning Ballard High School Performing Arts Program has gained regional, national, and international acclaim for their dynamic and inspired performances. The Music Department includes three concert bands, three concert choirs, two concert orchestras, a percussion ensemble, two jazz bands, one jazz choir, multiple chamber ensembles and a marching band of nearly 200 musicians. The Theatre Department offers classes in Technical Theatre and Theatre I and II, while the Ballard Playmakers produce two plays and one musical theatre production each year. More than 450 students – approximately one fourth of the school – participate in these music and theatre opportunities. Ballard Performing Arts sets a high standard of excellence for all students, ensembles, and productions while developing individual artistry through the study of high-quality repertoire and exceptional performance opportunities. For more information: ballardperformingarts.org