Get into the festive season with Carols & Cocoa, holiday concert

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The Dana Guitar Ensemble participates in the annual Dana Holiday Concert, scheduled for Dec. 1 at Stambaugh Auditorium.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Dana School of Music will present Carols & Cocoa and the Dana Holiday Concert — its annual holiday-music extravaganza — at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 at Stambaugh Auditorium, 100 Fifth Ave. Both performances are directed by Hae-Jong Lee.

Carols & Cocoa will be performed in Stambaugh’s Ballroom and will feature seasonal favorites, culminating in a holiday sing-along. Dana students bring cookies to share, and complementary coffee and cocoa, sponsored by Sheetz, will be available. Featured groups are: Trombone Ensemble, directed by Michael Crist; Dana Clarinet Ensemble, directed by Alice Wang; Dana Early Music Ensemble; Dana Flute Ensemble, directed by Kathryn Thomas Umble; University Chorus, Women’s Chorus, Dana Chorale and the Stambaugh Chorus, directed by Hae-Jong Lee.

After a brief intermission, guests are invited upstairs to the Concert Hall, where the main concert will present Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria” and “The Many Moods of Christmas,” arranged by Robert Shaw and Robert Bennett, performed by the Dana Symphonic Choir, Stambaugh Chorus and Dana Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hae-Jong Lee. Guest soloist for “Gloria” will be soprano Misook Yun. The Dana Jazz Ensemble, directed by Kent Engelhardt and Guitar Quartet, directed by Francois Fowler, will perform holiday music with the Dana Brass Quintet and the Dana Chorale.

The Boardman High School Chorale and Singers, directed by Emily Slaven and Errol Kehrberg, and the Stambaugh Chorus will participate as guest performers. The audience will be invited to sing carols with those ensembles with the accompaniment of the Trombone Ensemble as part of a mass choir.

The Friends of Dana will present its annual Dana Award to local community volunteer Barbara H. Tinkham.

This annual event has been presented for more than 30 years, beginning in the Bliss Hall Lobby. “This event continues an important tradition of involving and showcasing most of our vocal and instrumental students,” saidMichael Crist, director of the Dana School of Music. He called it an enjoyable way to begin the holiday festivities.

Tickets, which are all general admission, may be purchased in advance at the Bliss Hall box office or with a credit card by phone at 330-941-3105. Tickets also will be available at the door. Prices are $10 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens and free for children under 12 and those with a valid YSU ID.