Ozark Festival Orchestra- Hometown Christmas
The Ozark Festival Orchestra will continue its 46th season of concerts in Monett at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 7, at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center with a celebration of Christmas. Under the baton of music director Carla Wootton, the OFO will play holiday favorites and have soloists present excerpts from Handel’s “Messiah.”
Soloists Alene Wecker, soprano, who sang at the OFO’s concert with The Texas Tenors; Lauren Lee, alto, vocal music teacher at Purdy High School; tenor Kerry Hays, retired music and theater teacher; and Mike Garrett, soloist in past OFO “Messiah” concerts, will join the OFO in nine selections from George Frederick Handel’s oratorio “Messiah,” sharing the timeless message of Christmas through scripture.
The concert includes newer holiday salutes, such as “Jingle Elves” with a children’s choir, and “Santa’s Epic Ride.” There will be seasonal favorites “O Holy Night,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and a medley of five tunes that bring back childhood memories of the celebration. Dance comes to life in a waltz by Shostakovich. The OFO also dips into holiday cinema with a ride on “The Polar Express” and Leroy Anderson’s ever-popular “Sleigh Ride.”
Members of Horn Force, a brass ensemble from the Arkansas Winds concert band, will also play seasonal selections for a half hour prior to the concert.
Admission to the concert will be $10 for adults and free to children high school age and younger. Online tickets are available from www.ozarkfestivalorchestra.org.
Monett High School, 1 David Sippy Drive, is located off East Cleveland Avenue (Business Hwy. 60) at the east end of the city, next to Price Cutter Supermarket.
Robin and Tammie Walker are sponsors for this concert.
The OFO is a community orchestra composed of players from southwest Missouri and nearby towns, focusing primarily on classical music. The orchestra is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization supported by sponsors, memberships, local foundations, ads in the orchestra program book, and funds managed by the Monett Community Foundation.
Additional information is available at www.ozarkfestivalorchestra.org or Facebook/ Ozark Festival Orchestra or at www.ozarkfestivalorchestra.org.