Carols & Cocoa, holiday concert warming up

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Carols & Cocoa and the Dana Holiday Concert – a Mahoning Valley tradition – will take place Wednesday evening in Stambaugh Auditorium.

The annual musical extravaganza is produced by Youngstown State University’s Dana School of Music.

The evening will begin at 7 p.m. with Carols & Cocoa in the Stambaugh ballroom on the lower level of the venue. It will feature seasonal favorites performed by the Dana Clarinet Ensemble, Dana Flute Ensemble, Trombone Ensemble, Stambaugh Chorus, Horn Choir, Dana Chorale, YSU Barbershop Chorus and the Festival Symphonic Choir, and will culminate with an audience sing-along.

At intermission, cocoa provided by Stambaugh Auditorium and cookies shared by Dana School of Music students will be available in the upper lobby.

The Dana Holiday Concert will then be presented in the concert hall.

The YSU Wind Ensemble, Dana String Ensemble, Dana Chorale and the Festival Symphonic Choir will share the stage for this grand performance. The seasonal repertoire will feature “Gloria” by Karl Jenkins as well as a variety of additional holiday selections.

Individual faculty performers will include Misook Yun, soprano; Christopher Krummel, trumpet; Cicilia Yudha, harpsichord; and Joseph Krumholz, violin. Kathryn Davison Miller, organ, and Jack Ciarniello, piano will also perform.

The Hickory High School Chamber Singers and the Stambaugh Chorus will be guest performers.

Two other holiday-related events sponsored by YSU’s Cliffe College of Creative Arts and Communication will take place this week:

The annual Keyboard Holiday Extravaganza will begin at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Bliss Recital Hall, on the lower level of Bliss Hall Classical and holiday music for piano will be performed in a festive setting by students of the Dana School of Music. Admission is free.

The final Music at Noon program for the fall semester will take place Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. at the Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave. Musical theater students will present “Peppermint Stick! A Holiday Review of Song and Dance.” It’s a holiday revue of tunes by Irving Berlin, including selections from the classic, “White Christmas.” Admission is free.

For information, call 330-941-2307.

IF YOU GO

What: Carols & Cocoa and the Dana Holiday Concert

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown

Tickets: $11 ($6 for students and senior citizens; free for children under 12 and those with a valid YSU ID). All are general admission. Available at the door and in advance at the Stambaugh box office, 1000 Fifth Ave.; by phone at 330-259-0555; and online at stambaughauditorium.com.