Described as “A joyful beginning to the holiday season,” the UW-Platteville Holiday Gala featured an expansive range of Christmas tunes performed by musicians from both on and off campus.
A variety of performance ensembles were featured, including the University Orchestra, Chamber Choir and the Platteville Children’s Choir. All proceeds of ticket sales went to the music scholarship fund.
The Holiday Gala, due to its popularity, was held two nights, Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2. The Brodbeck Concert Hall was adorned with garland and Christmas lights, adding to the holiday feeling.
The Flute Choir, Pioneer Piano Studio and Brass Quintet played festive tunes before the start of the concert as people took their seats.
The concert began with the University Orchestra, directed by Aaron Cooley. Following this performance on Friday, the Platteville Children’s Choir then sang. On Saturday, the Platteville Chorale performed in their place. The Pioneer Jazz Orchestra and the Low Brass Ensemble played music that was both festive and significant to their respective instrumentation. The University Orchestra featured traditional Christmas songs and included the lyrics in the playbill, so the audience could sing along.
UW-Platteville’s choirs also performed; the Concert Choirs, University Singers, the Coro D’Angeli, the Singing Pioneers and the Chamber Choir sang a number of Christmas songs, ranging from pop-like tunes and classic holiday songs to comedic parodies. Jazz I’s performance included soprano Malia Eugene singing along to a jazz version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Two guest musicians, Anita and Julian Graef, playing the violin and cello respectively, were also featured in the Holiday Gala. The pair would play a duet during the University Orchestra’s performance of “Stille Nacht.” The sibling duo were invited to perform by director Cooley.
The Holiday Gala ended with the performance of Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” which continues to be one of the most iconic instrumental Christmas songs.
Performers were dressed in festive wear and “ugly” Christmas sweaters, adding to the novelty of the musical performances. Student Performers mentioned loving the “festive” and “merry” experiences they have had performing in the Holiday Gala.
“I am always impressed with this particular program because we have all of the fall concerts going on in every area, and then all of a sudden, we have three or four rehearsals to put together all of this, so it is impressive to me how hard everybody works. It is such a short amount of time to work on some pretty substantial music to showcase for a great fundraising event,” Cooley said.
