Lehighton Area Middle School holiday program set for Thursday

The Lehighton Area Middle School Music Department will present its annual holiday program on Thursday in the middle school auditorium. The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade choirs, along with the Music Express show choir, will begin at 6:30 p.m. The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade bands, along with the Jazz Ensemble, will begin at 7:45 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. The snow date is Dec. 18.

Music Express will begin the program with “Holiday Road,” the popular Christmas single by Lindsey Buckingham; “Falala,” arranged by Jay Althouse; and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” also arranged by Althouse, will round out the show choir’s portion of the concert. Eighth-grader Gabriella DiDea will be a featured soloist.

The Sixth-Grade Treble Chorale will perform a rousing selection of holiday favorites including: “Everywhere Christmas Tonight,” “Cardinal” by Andy Beck, and “Holly, Jolly Christmas.” Eighth-grader Zachary Wilusz will accompany the choir for an Audrey Snyder rendition of “The Candlelight Canon.” The choir will end with “The Biggest Brightest Holiday Lights!”

The Choraliers, the seventh- and eighth-grade chorus, will open their portion of the program with “Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas,” from “Home Alone 2,” followed by “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and “Once Upon a December.” A Nigerian Christmas carol, “Betelehemu,” will feature an energetic percussion accompaniment performed by Craig Frantz, Jonah Fritz and Giovanna Lorenzo, all eighth-grade students.

The two choirs will then combine to present a toe-tapping rendition of “Jingle Bells Rock,” arranged by Sally Albrecht. The choirs are under the direction of Laura Welkey.

The Jazz Ensemble will begin their portion of the program with “White Christmas,” a classic written by Irving Berlin, followed by “Who Let the Elves Out,” which is based on the carol “Good King Wenceslas.” Robert Dwojewski will be featured on this number. The jazz ensemble is under the direction of Thomas Weidner.

The sixth-grade band, under the direction of Beth Hudlow, will perform the spirited “Festival of Lights” by Sandy Feldstein and John O’Reilly, followed by “Up on a Housetop.” The bands’ final selection will consist of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”

The seventh- and eighth-grade concert band will conclude the evening’s festivities. Their first selection will be “Renaissance Christmas” by Johnny Vinson. Next, the band will perform “Holiday Highlights,” a medley of Hanukkah songs and Christmas carols. For its final selection, the band will perform the Christmas classic, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The bands are under the direction of Hudlow.

The concert is open to the public, and all are welcome to attend.