For the first time in several years, University of Texas Permian Basin’s Music Department will host a massive musical Holiday Celebration.
Featuring a variety of UTPB ensembles, plus the Midland High School Orchestra and other collaborators, they will take to the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center stage at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Tickets are available on the Wagner Noël website, wagnernoel.com.
Associate Professor Frank Eychaner said to arrive early for the Holiday Celebration because Santa Claus is going to make an appearance. St. Nick will be in the lobby to be part of family photos for free.
“We’ll have a nice backdrop set up with UTPB holiday celebration. Santa will be there. He’s the real deal. His shiny black boots, his au naturel beard. We’re excited. …,” Eychaner said.
At a rehearsal Nov. 29, musicians were preparing for the Thursday show, as well as caroling in the community as a fundraiser.
“It will bring together all of the university ensembles to perform here on the main stage in the Wagner Noël. You can see we’re starting to set the stage. I just got the choirs up. We’re going to have wind players in front of them and string players in front of that. We’re going to have performers up in the balconies and walking down the … aisles. It’s going to be really great,” Eychaner said.
About 150 UTPB students all together will perform, along with approximately 40 from the Midland High School Orchestra.
For the holiday celebration, Eychaner said his wife, Karen, will accompany for one piece.
“We actually have a fantastic feature piece called ‘A Carol Fantasy’ that is featuring four of the best pianists in our region. Shari Santorelli will be a part of that group. Sun Yong Hwang. Dr. Hwang is on our faculty. She teaches our private piano, as well as piano classes. Dr. Gayle Bizzell from Odessa College will be joining us. Last is Dr. Young Llerena …,” he added.
All four pianists will be on the stage at the same time.
“We’ll have the percussion ensemble on stage. … The percussion ensemble is the first group from UTPB to be invited to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association in San Antonio. We have a brass quintet, string quartet, Christmas carols for the whole family, and of course lots and lots of music …,” Eychaner said.
Orchestra Director Jean Gomez Fonseca said this will be the first time many of the students will have a chance to participate in something like this.
Midland High Orchestra Director Nikesha Hailey-Hicks will conduct “The Little Drummer Boy.”
Community caroling will begin after Dec. 3, Eychaner said.
“We can send out groups of varying sizes, depending on people’s needs. We’re requesting a donation of $250 for a quartet; $500 for an octet; and a large group for $750, which would mean at least a dozen. It could be as many as 25,” Eychaner said.
All proceeds from the fundraiser help the students get travel experiences that they need to become the professionals they are preparing to be, he added.
“We love to sing for house parties. We love stopping by businesses to sing for customers and employees alike, and of course, we’re available to corporate parties and organizational celebrations,” Eychaner said.
The best way to request carolers is to call Eychaner at 303-875-5499, or email [email protected].
When you contact him, be ready to share the time you want the carolers to be there and the address of the venue.
In the past, they have used the funds to send UTPB students to Carnegie Hall in 2018. Funds from caroling also sent students to the International Choral Festival in Central Mexico in 2019.
Sophomore Caeden Gamboa, a bass in the University Choir, said this is his second year in the group.
With the choir, band and orchestra combined, it will be one big symphony, he said.
“I’m really excited for it,” Gamboa said of the upcoming show. “I think that there are a lot of different songs that everybody recognizes, but has that choir twist and like orchestral feel to it, so it’s going to be a big sound …,” Gamboa said.
A holiday celebration wasn’t held last year due to COVID, so he’s glad to have such a big Christmas celebration.
“I personally love Christmas, so to be able to celebrate it in such a big way, it’s pretty amazing,” he added.
Maddie Olague, a sophomore Soprano II, said they have been preparing for the show for about two weeks. Olague is majoring in vocal performance.
Olague said she loves being in the choir.
“I actually started choir my senior year of high school. But when COVID hit, I didn’t get a second semester. So this is technically only my third year in … choir, so it’s been quite a journey to get here but it’s been really fun,” she said.
Kennison Vardeman, a senior, has been in choir for three and a half years.
He said getting to perform in his senior year and after COVID has been a lot of fun.
Vardeman, who is studying music education, said it would have been heartbreaking if he hadn’t been able to participate in an event like this before he left UTPB.
