FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 16, 2015
Contact: Jeffrey Carlson, Executive Director
(336) 333-2220 | E-mail
Busy Parents with Young Children Can Still Find Time for a Magical Holiday Concert This Season
50-minute version of Bel Canto Company’s multi-media holiday concert is perfect for young families and will feature artwork created by local Center for Visual Artist students
GREENSBORO, N.C. – In addition to presenting two full-length performances of their popular holiday concerts this season, the Piedmont’s premier choral ensemble will produce a new, 50-minute family-matinee version. Bel Canto encourages young families, as well as those whose busy schedules do not leave much room for a two hour concert, to join them for this exciting new event. The matinee performance will be held at Page High School on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3:00 PM. General admission tickets are $15 and student tickets are $5. Additionally, concertgoers receive $5 off any ticket at the door with each donation of a canned good.
The title of this year’s concert is Holiday Reflections. The full versions of the concert will take place at Christ United Methodist Church on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 8:00 PM and Monday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 PM. The musical selections include a wide variety of great choral music, from classic masterworks like Handel’s Messiah to contemporary arrangements of holiday favorites including “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing,” “Go Tell It On the Mountain,” and “The First Noel.” Both versions of the concert will be accompanied by an original animation of vintage cards, family photos, and holiday artwork created by Center for Visual Artists students. There will also be delectable holiday treats for sale in the lobby, graciously provided by The Fresh Market, before and after the concert, as well as at intermission.
All three performances will incorporate artwork created by 80 Center for Visual Artists (CVA) summer students. The artists, ranging in age from 5 to 18, were asked to design 5×7” holiday cards inspired by a Bel Canto performance of holiday music last July. All 80 cards will be on display in the lobby at the performances, and many will be incorporated into a projection that will play above the chorus throughout the concert. In addition, five cards have been reproduced as holiday greeting cards available for sale at the performances. The collaboration with CVA gave the students an opportunity to learn how different art forms influence and inspire each other: the music first inspired their artwork, and now their art will inspire Bel Canto’s holiday performances.
At the Dec. 12 and 14 concerts, Bel Canto will also feature several guest performers. Bel Canto is pleased to welcome back the Greensboro Youth Chorus Cantabile Singers under the direction of Ann Doyle. The youth chorus will perform a few numbers of their own, and will join Bel Canto in presenting several pieces together. Bel Canto is also excited to welcome the Quintessentials, a 5-voice acapella jazz group formed by members of the choir. Finally, in addition to piano and organ, Bel Canto will be joined by a string quintet to accompany a number of the works planned for this concert.
Major support for Holiday Reflections is provided by ArtsGreensboro. We also thank the Center for Visual Artists for their support of these concerts, and Cornerstone Advisory Corporation for their sponsorship of our 2015-2016 Season.
Tickets for Dec. 6 are $15 for general admission and $5 for students; $5 discount on any ticket with the donation of a canned good.
Tickets for Dec. 12 and 14 are $22 for general admission, $20 for seniors (65+), $5 for students. There is also a 10% discount for groups of 10 or more. Tickets and additional information are available at www.belcantocompany.com, at the door one hour before each performance, or by calling (336) 333-2220.
About Bel Canto Company: Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Welborn Young, Bel Canto Company is a choral ensemble of professional singers dedicated to providing choral concert experiences of the highest caliber. The ensemble’s mission is to present exceptional, innovative and engaging choral performances for diverse audiences in the Triad and beyond. In its 33 years as the Triad’s premier choral ensemble, Bel Canto has engaged over 175 of the region’s most talented singers, presented hundreds of concerts locally and throughout the Southeast, and performed thousands of pieces of music spanning the globe and the centuries. From its beginning in the 1982-1983 Season until now, Bel Canto has been praised for its uniquely beautiful interpretation and sensitive tonal quality.
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