Department of Music

UPDATE: The Family Holiday Concert for Saturday September 6th has SOLD OUT.  We anticipate a few tickets will be released by patrons who can not attend. If tickets are released they will be available at the Arts Box Office ticket counter in the lobby of Old Cabell Hall at 7:30pm.

The Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia and the U.Va. University Singers join forces to present their tenth annual Family Holiday Concerts on Saturday, December 6, at 8:00pm and Sunday, December 7, at 3:30pm. Michael Slon, director of U.Va.'s premiere vocal ensemble, and music director of the Oratorio Society of Virginia, will conduct the performances at Old Cabell Hall on the Grounds of the University of Virginia.

Through the years, these popular concerts have launched the holiday season with an array of music ranging from the peaceful to the joyous.  This year’s program is brimming with favorites for concertgoers young and old, naughty and nice: Carol of the Bells, Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, Let It Snow!, Let It Snow!, Let It Snow!, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.  Young revelers can look forward to a suite from The Polar Express.  And an annual tradition, The Twelve Days of Christmas with audience participation always results in hilarious fun.

Vocal soloist Chris Owens will perform the haunting and wistful I Wonder as I Wander and Mel Torme’s The Christmas Song, perhaps better known for its opening line, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”.  A member of the voice faculty at U.Va, he has sung leading roles with opera companies and symphony orchestras across America.

On both days, a trombone ensemble will welcome audiences in the lobby with arrangements of festive carols.

The Saturday concert is sponsored by Hantzmon Wiebel LLP.  Wells Fargo is the sponsor of Sunday’s performance.  Additional support is provided by the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts at the University of Virginia.

Old Cabell Hall is located on the south end of UVA's historic Lawn, directly opposite the Rotunda. Free parking is available in the U.Va Central Grounds Parking Garage, located on Emmet Street.  Handicapped parking is available in the C1 parking lot or in designated spaces on McCormick Avenue. Old Cabell Hall is wheelchair accessible. The Charlottesville Free Trolley stops on McCormick Road at the U.Va Amphitheater, adjacent to Old Cabell Hall. 

Tickets are $10-45 for adults and $10 for students.  U.Va students may request one complimentary ticket in advance.  Tickets may be purchased at The University of Virginia Arts Box Office, (434) 924-3376, 12:00-5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday in the lobby of the Drama Building at 109 Culbreth Road, or on-line at www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu.

The December 6 performance is sponsored by Hantzmon Wiebel LLC.

The December 7 performance is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

Additional support provided by the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts at the University of Virginia

The University Singers will tour Europe in the spring of 2015.  Help sponsor a Singer for this extraordinary musical and cultural opportunity!