December 02, 2016
Concert to feature ‘carols old and new’
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- It is music to chase away the Grinch. Or anyway, that’s Susan Davenport’s theory about the upcoming Southern Illinois University Carbondale Concert Choir and Choral Union concert at Shryock Auditorium.
“Carols Old and New: Carols from the 16th Century to the Present” begins at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 6. Tickets are $12, $6 for students. Tickets are available in advance from the Shryock Auditorium or McLeod Theater box offices or call 618/536-8742. Buy tickets at the door beginning an hour before the performance begins.
The program covers an historical range of carols. “We’ll start with a 16th century tune that is still very popular today,” Davenport, director of choral activities and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said. Other selections include “Messe di Minuit pour Noël,” a piece written for a midnight Mass but based on familiar French carols -- similar, Davenport said, to hearing a song like “Frosty the Snowman” sung in church with different words. The program includes other French carols, with the second half of the concert showcasing a medley of familiar holiday songs.
The concert choir is an auditioned group of approximately 40 voices that performs regularly. The choral union is a larger group of more than 100 singers from the university and the community that performs with larger music ensembles.