Click image to enlarge Join local choirs for “Christmas at the Alys,” an annual choral celebration featuring traditional holiday favorites and standard choral classics, Tuesday, Dec. 3, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“Christmas at the Alys” is presented by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music. Started in 2001, the festive event has welcomed thousands of young choral singers from schools throughout the Birmingham community to perform together with UAB choirs. The program includes the singing of traditional holiday carols, in which the audience is encouraged to participate.
The concert is at 7 p.m. in UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $8 general admission and $5 for all students. Call 205-975-2787 for tickets.
Led by the UAB Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, with Brian Kittredge, DMA, conductor, and the UAB Trumpet Ensemble, led by James Zingara, DMA, conductor, performing choirs include the John Carroll Catholic Singers and Mixed Ensemble, led by Sandy Sprague, conductor; Thompson High School Madrigals, led by Natalie Allen, conductor; Hueytown High School Concert Choir and Chamber Choir, led by Bradley Wilson, conductor; Gardendale High School Chamber Choir, led by Cara Thomas, conductor; Helena High School Chamber Choir and Spotlight, led by Alice Lagrone, conductor; Spain Park High School Chamber Choir, led by Jim Schaeffer, conductor; and Voices of the South Men’s A Cappella Chorus, led by Matt Powell, conductor.
Christmas at the Alys is an unforgettable choral event, says Cara Thomas, director of the Gardendale High School Chamber Choir.
“Listening to other choral programs is a highlight, but actually singing with all the schools is something that resonates with my students throughout the year,” Thomas said. “They love it so much that they want to come back and sing every year. The community the students create across the stage is something you cannot get anywhere else.”