Woodlands Academy Christmas Concert: Good News of Great Joy

You're invited to enjoy an evening of holiday-themed music as the Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart Music Department presents its annual Christmas Concert Thursday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. The concert, which is open to the public free of charge, will take place in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart at the all-girls college-preparatory high school, 760 E. Westleigh Road, Lake Forest.

All of the choral students will begin the program with their traditional Candlelight Procession while singing "O Come, All Ye Faithful" which will segue into John Rutter's arrangement of "Silent Night" accompanied by the Woodlands Academy Orchestra.

Following this, there will be individual performances by all three Woodlands Academy choirs and its orchestra.

Choral music highlights include:

• A seasonal favorite, "Sleigh Ride," and a medley from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" will be performed by the JV Kaleidoscope choir.

• Kaleidoscope (select, auditioned choral ensemble) will present selections from Benjamin Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols" accompanied by a guest harpist. The collection of songs was composed in 1942 while Britten was at sea travelling from the United States to England and is one of the first extended works written specifically for treble voices.

• "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" performed by this year's student-directed ensemble, Microscope, led by senior Paige Bartusiak, of Lake Forest.

• All three choirs and the orchestra will present a rendition of the British "Sussex Carol" famously transcribed by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Orchestral pieces include the following:

• Matt Riley's "Ode to Joy," a rousing and contemporary take on Beethoven's famous 9th Symphony, written for advanced piano and orchestra.

• In the style of symphonic rock sensations such as Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Mannheim Steamroller, Cliff Duren's "Star of Wonder Medley" is a stunning orchestral compilation of Christmas classics: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "We Three Kings of Orient Are" and" How Great Our Joy."

• The orchestra's favorite piece of the concert, "Into the Storm," vividly depicts the frenzy of the storms of winter.

The award-winning ensembles are led by Lauren Moldenhauer (orchestra) and Kevin Burrow (choirs).

Refreshments will be served during a brief reception after the concert.

For more information, visit www.woodlandsacademy.org.

Founded in 1858, Woodlands Academy is an independent Catholic college preparatory day and boarding high school for young women. It's part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries. A nonprofit, Woodlands Academy's identity is rooted in Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat's desire to inspire young hearts and minds to excel, to lead lives of integrity and to serve. For more information about Woodlands Academy, please visit www.woodlandsacademy.org