Start the holiday season with “Christmas at the Alys,” a family-friendly celebration of the season, Monday, Nov. 30, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Presented by the UAB College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music, this annual choral celebration began in 2001 and has welcomed thousands of young choral singers from schools throughout the Birmingham community to perform together in UAB’s world-class Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center.
Featured on stage this year will be more than 300 singers and musicians, including the UAB Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, conducted by Brian Kittredge; the UAB Trumpet Ensemble, conducted by James Zingara; John Carroll Catholic Singers and Mixed Ensemble, conducted by Maria Wilson; Calera High School Choir, conducted by Alice LaGrone; Thompson High School Madrigals, conducted by Natalie Allen; and Hueytown High School Concert Choir and Chamber Choir, conducted by Bradley Wilson.
Each choir will perform three or four pieces of varying repertoires, from traditional holiday favorites to standard choral classics. The program will also include trumpet fanfares by the UAB Trumpet Ensemble, sing-alongs of traditional holiday carols and perhaps a few surprises, Kittredge says.
The concert will take place in the ASC’s Jemison Concert Hall, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $8 general admission and $5 for all students. Call 205-975-2787 for tickets. Contact the UAB Department of Music at 205-934-7376 or www.uab.edu/cas/music.
“I love seeing my students’ faces when they realize they are going to perform in such a wonderful facility with well-trained musicians from all over the state,” said LaGrone. “My students look forward to this every year.”
“Christmas at the Alys signals the beginning of the Christmas season for my students; but more importantly, it provides a unique opportunity to collaborate with other choirs in the Birmingham area for a meaningful musical experience,” Maria Wilson said. “It is so inspiring to be able to sing in such an amazing facility — the highlight of our year.”