By Staff
Special to The Star
Sunday, Dec. 3, 2000
Usher in the holidays with Meridian Community College's Ho-Ho-Holiday Concert today at 3 in Ivy Hall Theater.
Bells will be jingling and snow falling when MCC's musical groups the MCC Chorus and the MCC Brass Choir roll out a lavish Ho-Ho-Ho-liday concert. Tickets for this Arts &Letters Series concert will be available at the door. Admission is $5, adults; $3, students.
The Chorus and Singers are conducted by Dr. Bob Hermetz; the Brass Choir is conducted by Carey Smith.
Holiday traditional favorites, including "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Sing We Now of Christmas," "Before the Marvel of this Night," "Three Folk Carols (Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head,' Shepherds What is the Lovely Fragrance' and Sussex Carol'), "Ding Dong Merrily on High," "Little Drummer Boy," "Jingle Bells," "White Christmas" and "Carol of the Bells" will be performed by the chorus.
Members of the chorus include Johnnie Nell Alexander, Janet Barham, Elizabeth Bartlett, Diane Benton, Angel Crocker, Jane Daisis, Emily Dorman, Jan Eggler, Kylie Ethridge, Bethany Gehman, Kathleen Graham, Joy Henson, Megan Hoffer, Shanna Hollis, Mary Houze, Ashley Hunter, Christy Hurtt, Katie Johnson, Marilyne Johnson, Nickie Johnson, Holly Jones, Lindsey Kyles, Jessica Lockridge, Katie Martin, Joy Moulds, Liberty Moreno, Melodie Norman, Marietta Norwood, Anita Panagiotou, Barbara Panagiotou, Stephanie Parrott, Amy Poole, Kay Poole, Jeri Reeder, Amanda Rickles, Dottie Rigdon, Kristie Rodgers, Lisa Smith, Mitzi Tyler and Debbie Young, sopranos;
Kim Blackwell, Amy Bobo, Maygen Carpenter, Judy Donnersbach, Candace Hilly, Frances Hinton, Meridith Hurley, Vivian Hurley, Linda James, Sylvia McEachin, Linda McInnis, Melitus McKee, Ashley McSwain, Jennifer Nanney, Suzanne Scales, Suzanne Simpson, Renee Snowden, Melissa Suttles, Heidi Swanson, Taletha Swearingen and Tephanie Turner, altos;
Bob Barham, Scott Brinkley, Howard Crenshaw, Benny Eggler, Boby Eller, Jared Florreich, Bill Green, Phillip Hendricks, Evan Hurley, Zena Limerick, Steve Majure, Jason Moody, Clint Nanney, Mike Nanney, David Palmer, Jeremy Sande, Jeremy Scarbrough, Ron Smith, Clark Thomas and Bob Walker, tenors;
Carl Bell, Larry Birzer, Joe Covington, Hank Fairchild, Ryan Farmer, Ed Hurley, Jeremy Jarvis, Robert Kelly, Lance Kennedy, Nick Kramer, Chris Lentz, John McEachin, Terry Phillips, Paul Springer, Bill Stallworth, Ray Swanson, Andrew Webb, Alonzo Williams and Russ Williamson, basses.
The Brass Choir will perform "Joy to the World," "The Wassail Song," "O Christmas Tree," "Go Tell It on the Mountain," "Up on the Housetop" and "Jolly Old St. Nicholas."
Brass Choir members are Ron Widener, J.B. Griffith and Lavelle
Woodrick, trumpets; Kathleen Graham, French horn; Bill Drinkwater and Lee Rigdon, trombones; Bob Elliott, tuba and Smith, euphonium.
As a special feature, this family program will feature a gift-bearing Santa in his sleigh with elves.
History of Carols:
It's been called the most wonderful time of the year. And music including carols plays a big part of holiday season.
The word "carol" comes from the Greek choraulien which means dancing (choros) and playing the flute (aulien). Historians note the carol was a dance to flute accompaniment. In ancient times, this kind of dancing was popular with Greeks and Romans.
In England and France in the Middle Ages, carols were dances accompanied by singing. In the French Midi, for example, the "carol" was a type of round dance. As time went on, the word "carol" changed its meaning, referring only to certain kinds of songs.
The Anglo-Saxon tradition of gathering together small choirs on the village green to sing carols and Christmas songs for the pleasure of passers-by became to be. In fact, a number of popular American Christmas carols came from France and England.