GU Welcomes the Holiday Season

Graceland University’s Shaw Center for the Performing Arts Center opens the holiday season with two special events. The festivities launch with Christmas at the Shaw on December 5th at 7:30 PM.

The program combines the voices of the Concert Choir, the specialized chamber choral ensemble Graceland Harmonium, and the instrumental forces of the Symphonic Band to deliver the community’s first sounds of the season. This collaborative performance features popular holiday favorites alongside classical and contemporary choral works.

The concert lineup features well-known holiday favorites including “Winter Wonderland” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The Concert Choir will also present Mack Wilberg’s inimitable arrangement of “Still, Still, Still” alongside the always thrilling “Carol of the Bells.” Among their selections, Graceland Harmonium will perform “For Unto Us a Child Is Born” from Handel’s Messiah, bridging choral traditions across the centuries. Both the Concert Choir and Graceland Harmonium are conducted by Graceland’s Director of Choral and Vocal Studies, Dr. Leah Wyman.

“What I love about this concert is that holiday blend of comfort and surprise,” said Dr. Wyman. “There are pieces everyone knows and loves, and others that invite us to listen a little differently. Our students have created something joyful to share with the Lamoni community.”

The Graceland Symphonic Band, composed of nearly 20 volunteer musicians, will perform seasonal instrumental pieces. Their program will notably highlight a suite of Renaissance music. The Symphonic Band will be conducted by Parker Worden. He also conducts the Graceland Jazz Ensemble.

The second event, Sounds of the Season, continues the celebration on December 7th, beginning at 7:00 PM, in the social atmosphere of the Shaw Center lobby. Performances by the Graceland Harmonium and the Jazz Ensemble provide an informal and lively evening of holiday sounds and refreshments.