\n A Festive Christmas!
\n\n Ring out the bells\, Chri stmas music is in the air! \; The Madison Area Concert Handbells ringe rs are rehearsing festive holiday music\, both sacred and secular\, that t hey will present in three delightful Christmas concerts: Sunday\, December 9th at 3 p.m. at St. Stephen&rsquo\;s Lutheran Church\, 5700 Pheasant Hil l Road\, Madison \; \; and \; Friday and Saturday\, December 1 4th and 15th beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Middleton Performing Arts Cente r in Middleton High School.
\n\n The first half of the program will highlight the events of the first Christmas\, starting with a multi-metere d arrangement of a tune by Louis Bourgeois that morphs into a flowing rend ition of Handel&rsquo\;s Comfort Ye My People\, enhanced by retir ed Madison Symphony member Betty Bielefeld playing the flute. \; A 9th century plainsong and Nicolai&rsquo\;s O Morning Star\, How Fair and Bright are then woven together in a fascinating piece by the internat ionally renowned handbell composer\, Fred Gramann\, called Everlasting Light. \; The choir&rsquo\;s six plus octaves of handbells and s even octaves of enormous bass chimes will add depth and excitement to this piece. \; Next\, two soloists\, Carrie Ingebritsen\, whose lovely voi ce has graced many MACH concerts\, and Afi Dobbins\, a newcomer to our con certs\, whose energy and vocal talents will impress you\, share the sentim ents of Natalie Sleeth&rsquo\;s beautiful Were You There on that Chris tmas Night? \;
\n\n A joyful Noel\, Noel follows w ith the tune Angels We Have Heard on High announcing the good new s to the shepherds. \; A reverent mood is then presented by the belove d pieces O Holy Night \;and Gesu Bambino as they occ ur both separately and together\, enhanced by the artful keyboard work of guest artist Mark Brampton Smith. The bright and cheerful Catalonian C arol \; perks along with a tambourine accompaniment and then A Carol Fantasy\, again by Fred Gramann\, weaves Away in a Manger \, The First Nowell\, and The Holly and the Ivy in a fascinating confluence of these carols. \; To close the first half o f our program\, you\, the audience\, will join the bells in a medley of fi ve carols designed to keep you humming through intermission!
\n\n Af
i Dobbins and several percussion instruments open the second half of the p
rogram with an \;African Noel as our ringers mallet their bel
ls\, adding to the rhythmic persistence. \; \; A lively \;
Pat a Pan follows with scale-like passages tumbling over one another
and then The Parade \;of the Tin Soldiers will keep
your feet tapping. \; Our salute to the ever popular Nutcracker&nb
sp\;Ballet by Tchaikovsky will include four of its tunes\, c
oncluding with the energetic Trepak\, \;and then a popular Ch
ristmas toy from days past will be recognized in Leroy Anderson&rsquo\;s&n
bsp\;Bugler&rsquo\;s Holiday. \; Our vocal soloists return wi
th Go\, Tell It on the Mountain\, and once again\, the audience i
s invited to participate. \; Joel Raney&rsquo\;s setting of We Thr
ee Kings \;follows\, with keyboard and percussion parts adding M
iddle Eastern atmosphere and pizzazz. Our concert concludes with the famou
s old French tune borrowed by Bizet in his L&rsquo\;Arlesienne
\n MACH\, founded in 1997\, is celebrating its fifteenth Christmas concert this year. \; As in the past\, brief introductions to the pieces will provide historical context and/or information about spe cial effects executed by the bells and chimes. \; Audience members hav e said that our concerts really put them in the Christmas spirit\; they&rs quo\;re full of joy\, playfulness\, and fun! \; We hope you will have the same feelings after attending this year&rsquo\;s concert\, appropriate ly titled A Festive Christmas!
\n\n\nPhone: 608-620-19 97\n\n5700 Pheasant Hill Road\nMadison\, WI\n DTSTART:20121209T150000 DTEND:20121209T000000 LOCATION:St. Stephen's Lutheran Church PRIORITY: SUMMARY:Madison Area Concert Handbells present A Festive Christmas! URL:http://www.madisonhandbells.org/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR