Be Home for the Holidays: Mat-Su Concert Band Celebrates the Season at December Concert
Contributed by Mat-Su Concert Band
Take a break from wrapping presents and baking cookies with a sparkling concert by the Mat-Su Concert Band that will make you glad you’re home in Alaska for the holidays.
The band performs two concerts every December at the Glenn Massay Theater at Mat-Su College due to the popularity of this performance. This year, concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday Dec. 21 and 4 p.m. Sunday Dec. 22. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $5 for students. Children under 5 get in free. Tickets can be purchased online at www.matsuconcertband.org.
The concert includes familiar melodies in “A Christmas Festival” by Leroy Anderson, described in program notes as the famous work “against which all other Christmas medleys are judged!” Anderson selected eight of the most popular Christmas carols and one song, “Jingle Bells”, for a recording in 1950.
“A Christmas Flourish” is an inspiring and spirited fanfare by James Curnow based on a familiar melody – “Angels We Have Heard on High” – that’s in turn derived from the hymn tune “Gloria” based on a traditional French tune.
The concert includes new and old classics of the season ranging from “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky to “The Nightmare Before Christmas” – Danny Elfman’s marvelously melodic and unique score for the Tim Burton film.
Anyone with a hankering to build a snowman will appreciate “Symphonic Highlights from Frozen”, the 2013 Disney animated feature that introduced the world to Olaf and his human companions, Elsa and Anna.
Several numbers celebrate the uniqueness of spending the holidays in the nation’s most northern state: “Across the Alaskan Snow” by Jarod Hall; “Wintertide” and “With Every Winter’s Breath” by Randall D. Standridge; “Snowflakes Dancing” by Andrew Boysen Jr.; and of course, a nod to Lady Aurora with “Northern Lights” by Yukiko Nishimura.
The season wouldn’t be without some “Trombones on the Housetop” featuring the band’s talented brass section as well as “What Child is That Playing Carol of the Bells?”, the Julie Giroux composition that brings the composer’s unique sentiment to a familiar melody.
And, of course, the concert will wrap up with the audience sing-along, a crowd favorite that gives our amazing audience a chance to give voice to some of the season’s best carols.
Mat-Su Concert Band got its start in 1984 as the Mat-Su Community Band, formed by Matanuska Music owner Hank Hartman. Past directors have included Neil Long, Phil Munger, and Gleo Huyck. The fall concert will be conducted by interim directors and band members Barbara Carroll (saxophone) and Chris Loescher (trumpet).
Today, the band is made up of more than 60 musicians from many different walks of life who come together to make music every week during the school year. Rehearsals are held at Wasilla High School.