TCTC Chorus’ Fall Concert set

Tri-County Technical College’s annual fall choir concert, set for Nov. 21, will include the premier of an instrumental ensemble. The chorus, along with members of a new band class, will present their Fall Concert at 7pm in the Marshall Parker Auditorium on the Pendleton Campus. The performance is free and open to the public. Under the direction of conductor and music instructor Jeff Christmas, the concert will feature a variety of works by the choir, as well as a performance by the band comprised of three saxophonists, a bassist and a guitarist, along with Christmas and accompanist Cory Dodgens. Songs include Autumn Leaves, by Joseph Kosma; Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, by Duke Ellington. Christmas and Dodgens wrote and arranged two of the songs the band will perform, Minor 4 Swing by Christmas and Off the On Beatby Dodgens. The 14-member ensemble will perform O Occhi Manza Mia, Di Lasso; Bist du beimir, Bach; In Flander’s Fields, Jacobson and Emerson; Poor Wayfaring Stranger, Arr. Keith Christopher; The False Young Man, Arr. Patriquin; and Dona nobispacem, Anonymous. “I’m excited about the repertoire,” said Christmas. “It’s a diverse mix of style.” Christmas says uniting the ensemble with the band truly has been a transformative experience for both him and the students. “The nature of the chorus class is different than most. The text is never the same, the voices are different and the music is different every semester. All of the performers come from different backgrounds vocally. During the semester, we have to figure out what our sound is, come together, and make art. It’s powerful,” he said. Christmas added that although the concert is free, donations to the College Music Scholarship Fund are welcome. The goal is to raise money for an endowed scholarship that will benefit students who want to enroll in the chorus class but cannot afford it.