Naperville Chorus and Pete Ellman Big Band present ‘Christmas with a Flourish’
Feel a rush of holiday spirit with the Naperville Chorus’s “Christmas with a Flourish” with the Pete Ellman Big Band, featuring foot-tapping jazz and traditional arrangements of seasonal music, and Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols.”
With a simple harp accompaniment, Britten’s work is among his best known and most beloved.
Since 1976, the Naperville Chorus has given concerts in both the holiday season and the spring. This concert will be the ninth collaboration between Naperville Chorus and the Pete Ellman Big Band.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, in Wentz Concert Hall & Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave. in Naperville. Tickets are $30 or $25 for students and seniors. For tickets, call (630) 637-SHOW or napervillechorus.org.
The Naperville Chorus is led by interim music director Kevin Kelly and assistant director Jon Warfel. Kelly is an accomplished conductor and music educator with decades of experience in Illinois. He founded the Prairie Ensemble, has directed multiple choirs including Voices of Hope, and has led numerous youth and community music programs. A former classical music host at WILL-FM, he has collaborated with both university and professional ensembles. Kelly holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois and has performed with professional choruses such as the Chicago Symphony Chorus.
The Naperville Chorus draws its members from Naperville and the greater Chicago area. The Chorus has a wide repertoire, with a focus on classic choral works, often including elements of gospel, jazz, Broadway, and other genres. The chorus is grateful to Community United Methodist Church for rehearsal space, and to North Central College for their support over the years.
Since 2008, they have been privileged to call the college’s Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center their performance home. The Naperville Chorus is funded by the Illinois Arts Council; the Special Events and Community Arts Fund of Naperville, and many individual donors.