OFO to present Christmas concert Dec. 15
November 27, 2019
The Ozark Festival Orchestra will continue its 40th season with its Christmas concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center.
Music Director Todd Borgmann will lead the orchestra and a community chorus prepared by Jerry Ragsdale will perform a series of Christmas-themed selections both familiar and unfamiliar to the audience.
Favorites of the season will include a musical setting of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” with narration by Judge Michael Garrett of Monett, and Leroy Anderson's evergreen holiday classic, “Sleigh Ride” for orchestra.
The central pieces will be Vivaldi's “Gloria” for orchestra, chorus and soloists. This 33-minute piece by the Baroque master uses the traditional church liturgy to express the marvel of man's relationship to God and the gift of Christmas. Soloists will include vocalists sopranos Robin Braun, Purdy vocal music teacher Lauren Lee, and April Smith, all of whom have been soloists with the OFO in past Christmas concerts.
“A Musicological Journey through the Twelve Days of Christmas” takes the “Partridge in the Pear Tree” song with choir and orchestra through the history of musical styles. The piece starts with Gregorian chant and uses distinctive pieces by well known composers for each verse, touching on recognizable tunes from Vivaldi, Wagner, Tchaikovsky and Sousa, to name a few.
Other selections with chorus include Michael W. Smith's “All is Well” and Handel's “Hallelujah Chorus.”
Admission is $10, $5 for senior citizens 65 and older. Students high school age and younger will be admitted free. Future concerts for the season will be the Soloist showcase and Young Artists Concert on Feb. 23, 2020, also at the MHS Performing Arts Center, and the Pops in the Park gala on April 19 at the Monett City Park Casino.
The OFO is a community orchestra composed of players from southwest Missouri and nearby towns, focusing primarily on classical music. Rehearsals are held weekly in Monett. The orchestra is supported by memberships, local foundations, ads in the orchestra program book and funds managed by the Monett Community Foundation.
The Ozark Festival Orchestra will continue its 40th season with its Christmas concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center.
Music Director Todd Borgmann will lead the orchestra and a community chorus prepared by Jerry Ragsdale will perform a series of Christmas-themed selections both familiar and unfamiliar to the audience.
Favorites of the season will include a musical setting of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” with narration by Judge Michael Garrett of Monett, and Leroy Anderson's evergreen holiday classic, “Sleigh Ride” for orchestra.
The central pieces will be Vivaldi's “Gloria” for orchestra, chorus and soloists. This 33-minute piece by the Baroque master uses the traditional church liturgy to express the marvel of man's relationship to God and the gift of Christmas. Soloists will include vocalists sopranos Robin Braun, Purdy vocal music teacher Lauren Lee, and April Smith, all of whom have been soloists with the OFO in past Christmas concerts.
“A Musicological Journey through the Twelve Days of Christmas” takes the “Partridge in the Pear Tree” song with choir and orchestra through the history of musical styles. The piece starts with Gregorian chant and uses distinctive pieces by well known composers for each verse, touching on recognizable tunes from Vivaldi, Wagner, Tchaikovsky and Sousa, to name a few.
Other selections with chorus include Michael W. Smith's “All is Well” and Handel's “Hallelujah Chorus.”
Admission is $10, $5 for senior citizens 65 and older. Students high school age and younger will be admitted free. Future concerts for the season will be the Soloist showcase and Young Artists Concert on Feb. 23, 2020, also at the MHS Performing Arts Center, and the Pops in the Park gala on April 19 at the Monett City Park Casino.
The OFO is a community orchestra composed of players from southwest Missouri and nearby towns, focusing primarily on classical music. Rehearsals are held weekly in Monett. The orchestra is supported by memberships, local foundations, ads in the orchestra program book and funds managed by the Monett Community Foundation.