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Lander Choral Groups to Appear in Gala Christmas Concert

Lander University's Old Main Singers and University Singers will join voices for a concert whose theme is "The People and Places of Christmas " on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m., in Lander's Josephine B. Abney Cultural Center Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.

Associate professor of music Dr. Chuck Neufeld will conduct the two choral groups with the assistance of Amy Blackwood on piano.

Neufeld said he is excited about the concert. "Both choirs will be singing some well-loved Christmas music." Among the selections he mentioned are "Ave Maria," by Franz Biebl; "Caroling, Caroling," by Alfred Burt; "Good King Wenceslas," and more.

Soprano Corrie Woods, a Lander student from Leavenworth, Kan., who performed in a summer opera workshop last summer, will be the soloist on the Appalachian carol, "I Wonder As I Wander."

Professor emeritus of music Dr. Anthony Lenti and his student, Kelsie Detweiler, of Abbeville, will perform a piano duet arrangement of Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

Student Kayla Goldman, a junior music education major from Greenwood, said of the concert, "We are being challenged by some pieces, but we are up to the challenge. It's going to be great."

Neufeld said, "We have also included a little bit of fun and audience participation in this concert. I'm sure everyone will enjoy it."

According to Neufeld, some members of the University Singers and Old Main Singers participated in a few of the best high school choral programs in South Carolina, while others are very new to choral singing. "These students are pursuing majors in many disciplines at Lander, but they work hard together to create exciting choral sounds and musical experiences."