by Emily McKeehan
staff writer
The sounds of voices, bells and a variety of other instruments filled Bryan College’s Rudd Auditorium on the evenings of Dec. 11 and 12. Both nights Bryan’s Music Department presented “Christmas on the Hill,” a Christmas concert that showcased a medley of different musical pieces by both on- and off-campus performers.
The two off-campus groups that appeared were the Bryan Community Children’s Choir, which performed at Bryan for the first time, and the Metropolitan Bells, a group that has performed in previous Christmas concerts at Bryan.
The children’s choir, led by Kim Keck, associate professor of music, sang two songs. The choir is a group of children from the Dayton community. Keck started the group this semester. Senior Molly Gehring, who performed a piano duet with Natalie McGehee and sang with the Chamber Singers, said that she thought the group did an excellent job, especially considering that they have only been together for a semester.
The Metropolitan Bells, on the other hand, have been a part of Bryan’s Christmas concert for several years.
- Members of the Bryan College Chambers group sing with Christmas cheer.
“I saw them years ago and was really impressed with them,” said Mel Wilhoit, professor of music. “They’re not only outstanding musically, they put on a good show, and it provides a lot of variety for us.”
“We always enjoy coming to Bryan because it’s such a nice program,” said Gary Bynum, director of the Metropolitan Bells, which is made up of auditioned performers from the Chattanooga area. The nonprofit group performs throughout the year on six octaves of Malmark bells and four octaves of Malmark choir chimes.
The group performed six songs in the middle of the program, which was produced by senior Timmy Sunday, Chorale president.
“Our friendship with the folks here at Bryan is a wonderful thing, and we look forward to being here every year,” Bynum said.
The various groups of Bryan performers included the brass ensemble, the flute ensemble, women’s chorus, Chamber Singers and Chorale.
The brass ensemble performed a prelude to the evening and also played a Christmas medley, led by Wilhoit. The flute ensemble, also directed by Wilhoit, performed a rendition of the Nutcracker Suite.
The women, directed by Keck, sang four songs and were scattered across the stage dressed in winter attire. The stage itself was dressed in a set that looked much like a living room decorated for Christmas, which gave the performance a warm, festive look.
The Chamber Singers sang three songs and were then joined by the Chorale to sing the three final songs of the evening.
Wilhoit said that he was very pleased with the performances and was very thankful for the size of the crowd each night, which he estimated to be over 500 attendees comprised mostly of off-campus guests.
Though the primary purpose of the concert was to celebrate the Christmas season, according to Wilhoit, an important aspect of it is to allow the community to come and take part in the activity at Bryan.
“The Christmas concert to me always seems more toward the community just because we get more of the community attending,” said Gehring, “but it’s fun for students too. It’s a fun last hurrah before finals and before people go home.”