The South Arkansas Symphony will join high school choirs from across the region for a celebration of the Christmas season Dec. 16 in the renovated El Dorado Municipal Auditorium.
Regional choral singers will join the symphony from Camden, Fairview, El Dorado, Magnolia, Minden and Smackover high schools, among others. Accomplished soloists Haley Greer and Gregory Pearson, both of Monticello, will round out the holiday ensemble.
This year’s Holiday Pops concert will feature choral favorites by John Rutter and Leroy Anderson with traditional Christmas music, such as “White Christmas” and “A Christmas Festival.” The symphony will also perform excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” and the familiar “Sleigh Ride.” The concert also will include humorous arrangements of the “Grinch’s Song,” from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and “Christmas Cornucopia.”
“This is a concert that is meant for the entire family,” said conductor Kermit Poling. “It never really feels like the holidays to me without ‘Sleigh Ride’ and ‘Joy to the World.’ Hearing it live, and being joined by these wonderful young choirs and outstanding soloists has become a terrific annual treat. Plus, we’ll all join in for a sing-a-long at the end.”
Greer and Pearson will join in a duet rendition of “The Prayer,” made famous by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.
Greer, a soprano and Monticello-native, holds a bachelor’s of music education from the University of Arkansas-Monticello and a master’s of science in gifted, talented and creative education from Arkansas State University. Greer currently teaches at Monticello Public Schools and is a member of the Arkansas Choral Society in Little Rock.
Pearson, a baritone born and raised in Lake Village, has built a career as an opera singer throughout the country. Pearson holds a bachelor’s of music in vocal performance from the University of Arkansas-Monticello and a master’s of music in vocal performance from the University of Nevada. Pearson was accepted into the Young Artists Program of Utah Symphony and Opera following his collegiate studies.
The performance will start at 7:30 p.m., conducted by Poling. Tickets start at $15 and are available online at southarkansassymphony.org or by calling the box office at 870-863-4547. Both open seating and reserved seating are available. Senior, student and military discounts are available.