Submitted Photo Emerson Eads, featured soloist, will make his singing premiere at the Minot Symphony Orchestra’s annual holiday pops concert Saturday, Dec. 14.

The Minot Symphony Orchestra presents “Holiday Magic” on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m. at Ann Nicole Nelson Hall, Minot State University.

The symphony will bring out the spirit of the season with this evening of holiday music.

The concert will feature the 70-plus member symphony, plus over 200 members of the Minot State University and Minot High School choirs along with featured area soloists Emerson Eads, Sydney Johnson, Maddy Sem and Kaylee Capp.

The First Lutheran Church Celebration Ringers Handbell Choir will make its debut with the symphony for Gary Fry’s “Angels and Bells.”

“For our annual holiday concert, I am happy to be collaborating once again with the Minot High School Choir and MSU Concert Choir, bringing you pieces by British powerhouse composer John Rutter including his ‘Gloria’ and many of his well-known Christmas carols you will want to sing along with. We will also perform selections from Berlioz’s ‘L’Enfance du Christ,’ featuring as soloist my colleague Dr. Emerson Eads, who will be making his singing premiere here in Minot,” said music director Efrain Amaya.

Other works being performed include Leroy Anderson-“Sleigh Ride,” Gary Fry-“Sing the Carols of Christmas” and John Rutter – “Nativity Carol,” “Shepherd’s Pipe Carol,” “Christmas Lullaby,” “The Colors of Christmas” and “The Jolly Shepherd.”

Those attending can enjoy pre-concert music with an MSU brass quartet or the Celebration Ringers Handbell Choir from First Lutheran Church from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. The symphony will partner with The Spot for beer and wine beverage service for patrons age 21 and over before the concert as well as during intermission. Funds raised will be used to support future symphony programming. There will not be an educational talk for this performance.

The symphony’s upcoming performances include “The Remarkable Farkle McBride” family concert – Feb. 8 at 3 p.m., “Fun and Games” – March 8, and “The Titan” season finale on April 25 featuring the Heartland Marimba Quartet.

Individual main floor tickets are $25 or $30 for balcony with senior and student discounts available. The symphony offers a Flex Pass which includes six unreserved concert tickets for the price of five. The Flex Pass can be used for multiple tickets to the same performance or spread out between performances. Tickets are available at www.minotsymphony.com or through the box office at 858-4228.

Those planning to attend are urged to purchase tickets immediately. The past two years of the holiday concerts have sold out.

The Minot Symphony Orchestra is a unique blend of student, community, and professional musicians from the Minot area. The symphony is directed by Maestro Efrain Amaya, assistant professor of music at Minot State University.

This project is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.