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December 7, 2023
The Heart of Appalachia Community Orchestra, under the direction of Kevin Townsend today announces its Christmas Concert schedule.
This year’s program offers arrangements of Christmas carols and standards from around the world, including tunes with Brazilian, Celtic, African and olde English themes and rhythms. An orchestral version of Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium will be played by the string section. Though this piece is usually performed as a choral work, its lush harmonies and haunting melody work very well for a small string ensemble.
The featured piece in this year’s holiday concerts is The Trestle Tree, composed by the orchestra’s own Roy Crawford along with Dr Donald Sorah, an Associate Professor of Music at UVA-Wise. With simple melodies and elegant harmonies, Trestle Tree is sure to be an audience favorite. While it has been performed by several other ensembles over the past few years, this will be the premier performance for the Heart of Appalachia Community Orchestra.
The concert is free to the public.