Columbus native Eric Stark conducts the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir at a past concert.
Republic file photo
Columbus native Eric Stark will conduct the popular Indianapolis Symphonic Choir’s Festival of Carols concerts in Carmel.
The shows are scheduled at 8 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at The Palladium with guest vocalist and Indianapolis native Angela Brown, a longtime favorite with audiences of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. She last appeared with the local ensemble in February for a Black History Month concert.
The Festival of Carols is a Midwest family tradition filled with a variety of holiday favorites. The Choir and Brown will be joined by the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and of course, Santa. Although the Symphonic Choir is best known for performing classical music, Festival of Carols features a selection of fan-favorite and traditional holiday music such as “Joy to the World,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and Kenny Loggins’ “Celebrate Me Home.”
Timeless classics will be intertwined with holiday film favorites, a visit from Santa, and Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”
Festival of Carols will also feature the world premiere of “Gather Round the Holy Manger,” winner of the 12th Annual Christmas Carol Commission Competition, an initiative as part of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir’s ongoing commitment to the future of choral music.
Composer Joyce Vickery, an Indianapolis native, is an alumna of the International Hymn Writing Collective where she studied modern hymn writing with Matt Merker and Keith Getty. A homeschooling mother, Vickery finds great joy in writing songs for her local church and elementary music classes.
She holds a bachelor’s of music in composition from Indiana University, where she first studied choral composition with the renowned Swedish composer Sven-David Sandstrom. She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and six children.
Information and tickets: indychoir.org
