If youโre one of those folks who are scratching their heads asking how the heck we went from Fourth of July to Thanksgiving in what seemed like a minute, weโd like to put something else on your radar:
Christmas is less than a month away.
If you need a little push to get into the holiday spirit, mosey down to St. Augustine Cathedral on Sunday, Dec. 3, for the 24th annual โHoliday Card to Tucsonโ concert.
OK, before you go, youโll need a ticket ($25). You might want to jump on that pretty soon; the concert, with an afternoon and evening performance, sells out every year.
We suspect we know why: Itโs a chance to see some of the university and communityโs best vocal talent delivering much-needed holiday cheer on one stage.
This yearโs multigenerational cast features the University of Arizona Symphonic Choir, University Community Chorus, University Singers, Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus and Tucson Girls Chorus singing everything from โDeck the Hallโ to โAdesteโ (โOโ Come, All Ye Faithfulโ) accompanied by handbells and organ or piano, or sung a capella.
The concert will include the groups performing on their own and in combination, and the program covers the gamut of classic holiday hits, including โJingle Bells,โ โJoy to the Worldโ and โSilent Night.โ Thereโs contemporary flashes, including Kevin Phillip Johnsonโs arrangement of the traditional African-American spiritual โChildren, Go Where I Send Theeโ that includes rap crafted by Ayana Davis, works drawn from the classical canon with Gustav Holstโs Christmas carol โIn the Bleak MidWinterโ and Felix Mendelssohnโs โHark! The Herald Angels Sing.โ
The โHoliday Card to Tucsonโ returns once again to St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Ave., where it has been held for more than a dozen years. Performances are at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, and they last around 90 minutes. Bonus: Audience members will have a couple of opportunities to sing along.
For details and tickets, visit music.arizona.edu/events/holiday-card.