By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
An annual holiday concert takes place this weekend at the Missouri Theater in downtown St. Joseph.
The Holiday Cheer concert will feature familiar, classic Christmas music along with more contemporary music.
St. Joseph Symphony conductor, Chris Kelts, expects a packed crowd Saturday night.
“This tends to be one of our very popular concerts, because we get a lot of returning symphony lovers and also a lot of new people trying us out,” Kelts tells KFEQmmunity. “These songs that we’ll perform are pretty familiar.”
During the concert this year, the St. Joseph Symphony will be joined by soprano, Anna Mandina, who will sing such classics as “Rejoice Greatly,” from Handel’s Messiah to more modern songs such as “Mary Did You Know?”
Kelts says the symphony tries to strike a balance that hits on cultural nostalgia during the concert.
“A holiday memory, a Christmas memory, whatever people might have or they remember when they were kids. Something exciting and festive for the moment,” Kelts says. “Also, trying to feature something different and exciting; something that people can experience in that moment and remember it for years to come.”
Kelts says this type of concert stirs emotions in the audience.
“They love singing Christmas carols and Winter Wonderland. That appeals to them. They can grasp on to that as a memory,” Kelts says. “That’s a good thing, because it allows them to experience live, symphonic music and have a very unique experience for themselves, which is absolutely what we’re all about.”
The Holiday Cheer concert begins at seven o’clock Saturday evening at the Missouri Theater. There will be a pre-concert reception at six with complimentary wine, Cherry Mashes, donuts, and holiday punch.
Click HERE for a digital program.
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ
