Peppie Calvar Discusses Holidays at Hendricks, Spreading the Light of Music Around the World on the ‘’Cuse Conversations’ Podcast
Holidays at Hendricks has become one of the most anticipated holiday traditions on the Syracuse University campus.
Each December, students in the Setnor School of Music in the College of Visual and Performing Arts entertain the University community with live musical performances, and this year, there are two sold-out, in-person concerts on Dec. 4—4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.—along with a virtual concert on Dec. 11.
Hosted by Hendricks Chapel, these performances are free and open to the public. Celebrating the sounds of the season, Holidays at Hendricks is anchored by the Hendricks Chapel Choir and its director José “Peppie” Calvar, associate professor of applied music and performance and assistant director of choral activities in the Setnor School.
“The amount the show has grown since my arrival here in 2013 is incredible,” says Calvar, who spends 18 months organizing each year’s musical celebration.
“We’re showing institutionally what we as the Setnor School of Music do best, and we get to do it all at once in this one big moment. It’s tremendously fulfilling for us and for our students, and we hope that our audience feels the same way.”
Calvar stops by to discuss Holidays at Hendricks and what the student-centric concerts mean to the University community, why Holidays at Hendricks is such a special celebration and what people can expect from this year’s performances.
Calvar also shares the challenges of producing the first virtual Holidays at Hendricks during the COVID-19 pandemic, how he went from being an engineering student to pursuing a career in music and his passion for spreading choral music around the world through a series of international residencies.
Note: This conversation was edited for brevity and clarity.
Check out episode 125 of the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast featuring José “Peppie” Calvar, director of the Hendricks Chapel Choir and artistic director of Holidays at Hendricks. A transcript [PDF] is also available.
