Winter Festival Concert
BeauGOLB@gmail.com
The holidays are upon us. For a lot of us that just means extra stress, but there are some fun benefits to the season. Personally, I love the lighted trees floating in the waterways of Long Beach and walking through Naples with a to-go cup while the fog rolls in. It’s just a great time of year. We have the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade on December 5th and the Naples Boat Parade on December 19th, but if you really need something to get you into the spirit of the season, make plans to attend the CSULB Bob Cole Conservatory Winter Festival Concert at 4:00 on Saturday, December 5th at First Congregational Church. You can attend the concert and still have time to make it to the Parade in Belmont Shore at 7:00.
I was fortunate to get in touch with Dr. Leland Vail, 49er Chorus Director andGraduate/Undergraduate Advisor for the Bob Cole Conservatory. He has the unique perspective of being both a graduate of CSULB and a faculty member. Dr. Vail sent me a great history of the concert from his personal experience.
“The Winter Festival Concert (WFC) began in the early 1960's as an annual Holiday Concert put on by the various choirs in the music program. I first became involved in 1968 as a sophomore music major. The WFC was held in the campus gymnasium (the Goldmine), with choral risers and a shell on the floor, and the audience in the bleachers. In 1972, the concert was moved to the new University Student Union multipurpose rooms. This worked for three years, but simply was not large enough for all of the choirs and an audience too. I was not involved from 1972-73, as I was teaching middle school in Whittier at the time. In 1977, we moved the concert to the Los Altos United Methodist Church in Long Beach (Willow and Woodruff). In 1978, we were fortunate to have Richard and Karen Carpenter as special guests. With the assistance of the Associated Students, Inc. we booked the event at the new Long Beach Terrace Theatre. We sold out the house (3,000 seats) and did one show. At my suggestions, we moved the WFC to the First Congregational Church of Long Beach (where I serve as the Minister of Music), and where we had performed other large-scale events. The horseshoe balcony, rich mahogany paneling, and the magnificent Moller Organ, were ideal for the multi-choir holiday concert. We have been there ever since, with the exception of 1994, when, at the request of President Maxson, we performed at the new Carpenter Center. After that show, Maxson agreed that the church was the best venue, so we have been there ever since. The concert grosses some $26,000 in revenue, which is used to support the Choral, Vocal and Opera program with scholarships, music purchase and the like.
This year's concert features the Chamber Choir, University Choir, Forty-Niner Chorus, Women's Chorus, Men's Chorus, Pacific Handbells, and the vocal jazz ensemble Pacific Standard Time, performing music of the season.”
The Winter Festival concert has been one of my favorite holiday events every year. I’m not a religious person in any way, but I always leave the concert feeling uplifted. Tickets range from $8.00 to $25.00, but it is well worth it and the funding goes to a worthy cause.
While we prepare ourselves for a season of parties and community events, remember this is also a time for giving. There are so many ways that we can give this year, by donating money (if we have it) and our time. There are a lot of people in need, I’m sure we all have personal friends and family who have lost jobs or are in difficult situations. So, get out there and celebrate, be thankful for all that you have and let’s help others in our community have a good holiday season as well.
I was fortunate to get in touch with Dr. Leland Vail, 49er Chorus Director andGraduate/Undergraduate Advisor for the Bob Cole Conservatory. He has the unique perspective of being both a graduate of CSULB and a faculty member. Dr. Vail sent me a great history of the concert from his personal experience.
“The Winter Festival Concert (WFC) began in the early 1960's as an annual Holiday Concert put on by the various choirs in the music program. I first became involved in 1968 as a sophomore music major. The WFC was held in the campus gymnasium (the Goldmine), with choral risers and a shell on the floor, and the audience in the bleachers. In 1972, the concert was moved to the new University Student Union multipurpose rooms. This worked for three years, but simply was not large enough for all of the choirs and an audience too. I was not involved from 1972-73, as I was teaching middle school in Whittier at the time. In 1977, we moved the concert to the Los Altos United Methodist Church in Long Beach (Willow and Woodruff). In 1978, we were fortunate to have Richard and Karen Carpenter as special guests. With the assistance of the Associated Students, Inc. we booked the event at the new Long Beach Terrace Theatre. We sold out the house (3,000 seats) and did one show. At my suggestions, we moved the WFC to the First Congregational Church of Long Beach (where I serve as the Minister of Music), and where we had performed other large-scale events. The horseshoe balcony, rich mahogany paneling, and the magnificent Moller Organ, were ideal for the multi-choir holiday concert. We have been there ever since, with the exception of 1994, when, at the request of President Maxson, we performed at the new Carpenter Center. After that show, Maxson agreed that the church was the best venue, so we have been there ever since. The concert grosses some $26,000 in revenue, which is used to support the Choral, Vocal and Opera program with scholarships, music purchase and the like.
This year's concert features the Chamber Choir, University Choir, Forty-Niner Chorus, Women's Chorus, Men's Chorus, Pacific Handbells, and the vocal jazz ensemble Pacific Standard Time, performing music of the season.”
The Winter Festival concert has been one of my favorite holiday events every year. I’m not a religious person in any way, but I always leave the concert feeling uplifted. Tickets range from $8.00 to $25.00, but it is well worth it and the funding goes to a worthy cause.
While we prepare ourselves for a season of parties and community events, remember this is also a time for giving. There are so many ways that we can give this year, by donating money (if we have it) and our time. There are a lot of people in need, I’m sure we all have personal friends and family who have lost jobs or are in difficult situations. So, get out there and celebrate, be thankful for all that you have and let’s help others in our community have a good holiday season as well.
