DSC Symphony Band and Desert Hills HS Concert Band Combine for Special Concert Event Dec. 1

The Dixie State College Symphony Band will team with the Desert Hills High School Concert Band to kick-off the College’s slate of Holiday concerts with a special engagement on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m., in the Avenna Center Cox Auditorium on the DSC campus.

The DHHS Concert Band, directed by Mike Winslow, will begin the evening with a number of spirited selections. Followed by a brief intermission, the 78-piece DSC Symphony Band, under the direction of Gary Caldwell, will perform six compositions, many of which with a Christmas theme, beginning with James Curnow’s “Inventions from The Sacred Harp,” followed by “Fanfare and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” a Robert Longfield adaptation of Chip Davis’ arrangement from the Mannheim Steamroller CD entitled “A Fresh Air Christmas.”

The band will also perform Mark Camphouse’s “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night,” along with Cecil Alexander’s children hymn “Once in Royal David’s City,” arranged by Philip Sparke; “Arabesque,” composed by Samuel R. Hazo; and the composition “Russian Christmas Music,” by Alfred Reed.

Following the DSC set, both ensembles will combine for a stirring finale, which includes “Deep River,” a chorale setting by James Swearingen; “An American Christmas,” by Robert Smith, featuring a festive medley of Christmas carols ala John Philip Sousa; and “Belle,” from Cajun Folk Songs by Frank Ticheli.

The DSC Symphony Band performs twice each semester, including a pair of concerts during the spring semester on Feb. 23, and April 20.

All remaining concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m., in the Eccles Fine Arts Center Concert Hall. General admission tickets for each concert will be available at the door for $5 for adults and $1 for DSC students and faculty and staff with current ID.

For tickets and further information, please call 435-652-7800 or visit the central campus ticket office at the DSC Avenna Center. Patrons may also purchase tickets prior to each evening’s performance at the Eccles Fine Arts Center Box Office or online at “tickets.dixie.edu.”