Post updated at 7:36 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25:
The University of Kansas School of Music’s Vespers concert is celebrating a huge milestone: It’s turning 100 this year.
That will be one of many opportunities to hear the sounds of the holiday season in Lawrence.
This year, vespers will feature a 2:30 p.m. matinee show and a 7:30 evening show on Sunday, Dec. 8 at the Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive.
The program will include an alumni choir with performers from decades past. It will also feature some possible KU performers of the future in the Lawrence Children’s Choir, according to a news release from the School of Music.
The program will also feature the KU Trumpet Ensemble as well as two world premieres: “The KU Symphony Orchestra will present Holiday Vespers Overture, op. 173 by faculty emeritus Prof. James Barnes, a composition specially created for this centennial celebration,” according to the release. “Also premiering is I Only Want to Say (Blessings for the New Year) by current faculty member Forrest Pierce, written for choir and 4-hand piano, and commissioned by the KU School of Music to mark this historic event.”
Look for matinee tickets at this link, and for the evening show at this link. There will also be a livestream available of the evening show, linked on the same website.
Here are more upcoming musical events of the season.
Want to make sure you don’t forget about the events you see here? Click the linked day in each event to jump over to it on our calendar, where you can quickly add it to your Google, Apple, Outlook or other virtual calendar or share it on social media and tag the folks you want to take with you.
Are we missing an event? Please find our contact info at the bottom of this article to let us know!
• Queens of Country Christmas: Fundraiser for ALS will feature Betsy O & The Hollaback Boys. “Put on your dancin’ boots and kick off your holiday season with a celebration of our beloved classic country music queens … Dolly, Loretta, Tammy, Patsy and more!” The event will raise funds for the ALS Association, and organizers suggest a $10 donation at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show will begin at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 at Lucia, 1016 Massachusetts St.
• Free State Brass Band will present its Holiday Concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at First United Methodist Church of Lawrence, 946 Vermont St. “This is the perfect outing to get into the holiday spirit!”
• KU Jazz Vespers is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11 at the Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive, featuring “performances of holiday favorites in a captivating jazz and pop setting, including the celebrated KU Jazz Ensemble I and featured guest artists.” Find ticket info on the Lied Center’s website at this link.
• The Lawrence Public Library’s Holiday Music-a-Palooza will feature the Lawrence City Band starting at noon Saturday, Dec. 14 at the library, 707 Vermont St. They’ll be followed by Saxy Christmas at 1:30; the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Recorder Class Holiday Concert at 2:15; and community caroling from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. That’s all family-friendly, free to attend and open to the community.
• Doors open for Rock the Halls — a Rock ‘n’ Roll Benefit for the Ballard Center — at 6 p.m. and the show will start at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 at The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. “Featuring Santa’s favorites: ThunderKat, Coversmith and Soundwave. A great night of ’80s-’90s rock from these great Lawrence bands.” There’s a $20 cover charge, but you can get in for half price if you bring an unwrapped present for a kiddo.
• Mid-America Performing Arts Alliance’s Holiday Greetings Concert will feature the MAPAA brass chorale and chamber orchestra performing Christmas tunes, selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and more. That’s set for 7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, 1631 Crescent Road on KU’s campus. MAPAA events are free to attend and open to the public, though they recommend donations to support their mission of bringing classical music to youth and the community.
• Lawrence Civic Choir will celebrate 50 Years of Holiday Magic with its show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 at First United Methodist Church of Lawrence, 946 Vermont St. “The performance will feature choral classics, including John Rutter’s Gloria, accompanied by Dr. Geoffrey Wilcken on organ with a brass ensemble.” Tickets will be available at the door — $15 for general admission, $5 for attendees under 12 years old.
• Kansas Public Radio’s Big Band Christmas will return at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St. All seats are reserved this year, and some tickets were still available for balcony seats as of the time of publication. Find ticket info at this link.
• The Americana Jazz Trio will present “A Charlie Brown Christmas Concert” at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15 at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. “Join us as we pay homage to Vince Guaraldi’s beloved soundtrack to this holiday classic! Featuring ‘Christmastime is Here,’ ‘Linus and Lucy,’ and many more.” Find ticket info at this link.
• Christmas Lights Benefit Concert, featuring organist Tandy Reussner and Friends, is set for 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15 at First United Methodist Church, 946 Vermont St. The family-friendly concert is free and open to the community, and donations will benefit the Ballard Center.
• Ashley Davis will perform at the Lied Center for her annual Winter Solstice Celebration, this year featuring Dublin harper Cormac de Barra. That’s set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 1600 Stewart Drive. Find ticket info at this link.
• Sounds of the Season: Group Singing with Kelley Hunt invites the community “for an afternoon of singing some of the wonderful songs of this beautiful season.” No music reading is needed. Registration is required; that’s available at this link. The event is set for 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19 at the library, 707 Vermont St.
• The Tallgrass Chamber Choir & Orchestra will hold a concert called “SLEIGH RIDE!” celebrating the Christmas season. Doors open at 7 and the show is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 at St. John the Evangelist Church, 1234 Kentucky St. Find ticket info at this link.
• Hanukkah Rocks featuring Benjamin Cartel & Friends is set for Saturday, Dec. 28 at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. “Celebrating the music of Bob Dylan, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Lenoard Cohen, Lou Reed, & many more!” Doors open at 5:30 and the show starts at 6:30 p.m. Find ticket info at this link.
• Looking ahead to the new year, Lawrence Community Orchestra will celebrate with “Resolutions,” which will feature “contemporary works for the string orchestra, including pieces by Astor Piazzolla, Jessie Montgomery, and John Rutter.” That’s set for 7:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 at Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vermont St. Find ticket info at this link.
What are we missing?
We made a list and checked it twice, but please let us know if there’s another event that we should include here.
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Holiday music in Lawrence: Where to hear the sounds of the season
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
