Celebrate the season with Hannibal Area String Orchestra on Sunday at Roland Fine Arts Center

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal Area String Orchestra will hold its holiday concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8 in the Roland Fine Arts Center, 2800 Palmyra Road. The orchestra will play 11 pieces.

The Beginning Orchestra will play:

• “Glorious Sight” by Johann A. P. Schulz. Arranged by Michael Kamuf, it is a bright, sparkling setting of “O, Come Little Children.”
• “Frosty the Snowman” words and music by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, arranged by Carrie Lane Gruselle. It is a light-hearted, jazzy version of this song.
• “A Japanese Christmas” arranged by Larry Clark. It is an arrangement of “The Holly and the Ivy” and “Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella” using traditional Japanese harmonies.

Intermediate Orchestra continues with:

• “Eine Kleine Bell Musik,” a Holiday Fantasy on Jingle Bells and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Arranged by Ronald Wilcott, which blends the holiday song with Mozart.
• “Happy-Snappy Tippy-Tappy Elves” by Nicolás Nepetto helps listeners imagine what the North Pole sounds like when the elves work and play.
• “The First Noel,” a traditional carol arranged by Japanese composer Yukiko Nishimura who elevates the carol with modern harmonies and rhythms.

The Advanced orchestra will play:

• “Nutcracker Suite Selections” by Peter Tchaikovsky. Arranged by Bud Caputo, it is a few movements from the famous ballet.
• “Merry Christmas, Mr. Sakamoto” by Xiaokang Deng is a piece dedicated to the masterful Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.
• “A Joyous Sleigh Ride” arranged by Anthony Susi takes Handel’s “Joy to the World” and creates an Aaron Copland-like ride through the American countryside.

For the finale, all three orchestra will combine to play “Christmas Sing-A-Long.” It will be a holiday sing-a-long including favorites like “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night” and more.

The public is invited to attend. Admission is free, but a free-will offering will be taken to help cover the cost of music and other expenses.

The organization consists of three groups: the Beginning String Orchestra, Intermediate String Orchestra and the Advanced String Orchestra directed by Katie Schisler with John Ferguson as assistant director. The string orchestra has about 45 members including piano, guitars and percussion on some pieces.