by Victoria Stearns, Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University will present its annual Community Christmas Celebration on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 6.–7 p.m. in the Dixon Ministry Center Jeremiah Chapel. The event is free and open to the public. In addition, those who are unable to attend in person can see the concert in its entirety at cedarville.edu/christmaslive.
“Many people from the surrounding communities often state that this performance kick-starts the Christmas season,” said Michael DiCuirci, M.M., senior professor of music.
Dicuirci, who is also the director of the symphonic band and jazz band, has served as coordinator of the Community Christmas Celebration since its inauguration in 1999. DiCuirci will retire from the university at the conclusion of the current academic year with a career spanning 37 years.
The concert typically draws more than 3,000 people from around the region and will highlight the talents of more than 300 Cedarville students and faculty.
The celebration features the sights and sounds of the university's choral and instrumental ensembles including Jubilate, women’s choir, brass choir, the university orchestra and jazz band, harp ensemble and men’s glee club.
A solo trumpet performance by Charles Pagnard, M.M., senior professor of music and director of the brass choir, will be among the highlights of the evening. Pagnard is also principal trumpet for the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and first trumpet for the award-winning Carillon Brass.
The night will also include a special reading of the Christmas story by Wes Baker, Ph.D., distinguished professor of communications, and his wife Rebecca, M.A., associate professor of theatre.
In addition, Beth Porter, M.A., associate professor of music, and Mark Spencer, D.M.A., associate professor of music, will perform a special duet.
The performance will also include classic Christmas carols such as “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and Handel’s “Halleluiah Chorus.”
“The community Christmas concert is hugely popular and a tradition for many people in the area,” said Porter. “This concert seems to mark the beginning of the Christmas season for those who attend. It is the university's musical gift to the Miami Valley.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,711 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 18 87, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings.
“Many people from the surrounding communities often state that this performance kick-starts the Christmas season,” said Michael DiCuirci, M.M., senior professor of music.
Dicuirci, who is also the director of the symphonic band and jazz band, has served as coordinator of the Community Christmas Celebration since its inauguration in 1999. DiCuirci will retire from the university at the conclusion of the current academic year with a career spanning 37 years.
The concert typically draws more than 3,000 people from around the region and will highlight the talents of more than 300 Cedarville students and faculty.
The celebration features the sights and sounds of the university's choral and instrumental ensembles including Jubilate, women’s choir, brass choir, the university orchestra and jazz band, harp ensemble and men’s glee club.
A solo trumpet performance by Charles Pagnard, M.M., senior professor of music and director of the brass choir, will be among the highlights of the evening. Pagnard is also principal trumpet for the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and first trumpet for the award-winning Carillon Brass.
The night will also include a special reading of the Christmas story by Wes Baker, Ph.D., distinguished professor of communications, and his wife Rebecca, M.A., associate professor of theatre.
In addition, Beth Porter, M.A., associate professor of music, and Mark Spencer, D.M.A., associate professor of music, will perform a special duet.
The performance will also include classic Christmas carols such as “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and Handel’s “Halleluiah Chorus.”
“The community Christmas concert is hugely popular and a tradition for many people in the area,” said Porter. “This concert seems to mark the beginning of the Christmas season for those who attend. It is the university's musical gift to the Miami Valley.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,711 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 18 87, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings.