UF, Gainesville choirs to perform holiday music at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall

Lillian Lawson, Gainesville Sun
·2 min read

The University of Florida Concert Choir and members of the Gainesville Master Chorale will be taking the stage in December at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The production, named “A Grand and Festive Choral Christmas Gala,” celebrates MidAmerica Productions’ 41st annual concert season and will feature a variety of classic and contemporary Christmas and holiday music.

Led by conductor Will Kesling, the ensemble will perform on Dec. 19 as part of a four-night trip to New York. The singers will spend around 10 hours rehearsing for the concert and the rest of their time touring the city.

A portion of the trip for UF choir students will be funded by the UF President’s Office, but members of the Gainesville Master Chorale must pay for their own expenses. Kesling said he and his students are grateful for the university’s support, and that the trip would not be possible without its financial assistance.

Will Kesling, director of choral activities at the University of Florida and the director of the Gainesville Civic Chorus Master Chorale.
Will Kesling, director of choral activities at the University of Florida and the director of the Gainesville Civic Chorus Master Chorale.

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“I think the university should support things like this, but I don’t believe in completely free trips,” said Kesling, who's been with the university for 20 years. “When you give people a free trip, they'll complain and they'll do all of this, but if they invest something, they’ll make an effort to make the whole experience better for them.”

Kesling will be conducting the show — it’s not the first time he has conducted in Carnegie Hall — and the New England Symphonic Ensemble will join the choirs to provide music for the concert.

The concert also will include John Rutter's "Magnificat" conducted by Cailen Marcel Manson.

“You can feel all of that music that’s ever been played there, you can feel it in the hall,” Kesling said of Carnegie Hall. “The feeling in the hall is, when you’re standing there, that the hall is just waiting — waiting for someone to give it life. It’s waiting to burst into sound. You can feel the acoustics in the room… Even when it’s silent. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Before making the trip to New York, Kesling will direct the annual Sounds of the Season, a free local Christmas concert scheduled this year for Dec. 3. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Sounds of the Season concert, which under Kesling's leadership the past two years has won the Gold Audio Visual Arts (AVA) Digital Award.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: University of Florida, Gainesville choirs Carnegie Hall concert