‘Holidays at Hendricks’ heralds season with annual concert Dec. 5

“Holidays at Hendricks,” the annual Syracuse University holiday concert featuring the Hendricks Chapel Choir, Syracuse University Brass Ensemble (SUBE), Hendricks Chapel Handbell Ringers and Syracuse University Organist Kola Owolabi, will be held on Sunday, Dec. 5, in Hendricks Chapel.

The concert will begin in the chapel at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Those attending are asked to bring a non-perishable food item; items collected will be donated to the Eastern Farm Workers Association.

Public parking is free and available on a first-come, first-served basis in the Quad 1 lot (accessible via Crouse Drive), the Quad 3 lot (accessible via Sims Drive, with entrance between Bowne Hall and Carnegie Library), Q4 lot (accessible via College Place) Waverly lot (accessible via Crouse Avenue) and in the Irving Garage.

For the fourth year, through a unique collaboration between SU and WCNY, the 90-minute concert will be broadcast in late December by WCNY on both television and radio, and streamed on the Internet. Broadcast times for WCNY-TV are Dec. 22 at 9 p.m. and Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) at 9:30 p.m. WCNY-TV is found on Channel 24 or Time Warner Channel 11, digital cable channels 850 and 853 and simulcast in SD 24.1 and HD 24.4.

The radio broadcast and audio webstreaming will be Dec. 24 at 6 p.m., and Dec. 25 (Christmas Day) at 8 a.m. WCNY-FM (CLASSIC-FM) is found at 91.3 in Syracuse, 89.5 in Utica and 90.9 in Watertown, and the webstreaming can be heard at http://www.wcny.org.  DVD’s of the performance/broadcast will be available at the SU Bookstore in the Schine Student Center.

During the concert, the three groups will perform both individually and in combination. The choir will be directed by John Warren, the brass ensemble by James Spencer and the handbell ringers by Emily B. Cirillo. University Organist Kola Owolabi will provide accompaniment, and soprano Laura Enslin will perform with the SU Brass Ensemble on a selected piece.

The Hendricks Chapel Choir will perform carols from England, France, Poland and Spain, as well as French 20th-century composer Francis Poulenc’s “O Magnum Mysterium.” The choir will also perform “Kumah Echa,” an Israeli dance song, and the holiday standard “Home for the Holidays.”

The SU Brass Ensemble will perform “Christmas Finale,” “Son of Mary” (featuring soprano soloist Enslin), “Yule Dance,” “Flourish and Dance” (movements I, II and IV) and “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

The Hendricks Chapel Handbell Ringers will perform “Christmas Tapestry,” “The First Noel” and “Carol of the Bells.”

For the finale, the groups will combine with Owolabi for “Jubilate Deo.” The concert will close with the traditional candle lighting and singing of “Silent Night.”

The Hendricks Chapel Choir is a select, voice-mixed choir of about 40 students that provides music for the Sunday morning interdenominational Protestant service at SU, as well as for various campus events. The choir presents annual holiday and spring concerts, and tours internationally every four years.

The SUBE, housed in SU’s College of Arts and Sciences, is composed of members of the SU faculty and staff, the SUNY Upstate Medical University faculty and staff, and accomplished musicians from surrounding communities. The SUBE presents about 18 performances per year. The ensemble’s repertoire includes music from all major musical periods and often features new compositions commissioned by nationally known composers.

The Hendricks Chapel Handbell Ringers is a group of students, faculty and staff from the SU community. The ensemble rings five octaves of Schulmerich handbells and four octaves of Schulmerich MelodyChimes. The Handbell Ringers perform at the Protestant Worship Services in the chapel throughout the academic year, as well as at other churches and venues throughout Central New York.

For more information on the concert, contact Hendricks Chapel at 443-2901.