USU Music Department holds second annual holiday concert

On Saturday evening, the audience attending “Joyful and Triumphant,” a holiday concert in the Kent Concert Hall at Utah State University, was told by James Bankhead, the head of the USU Music Department, not to applaud after each individual performance but to wait until the end.

The Christmas-themed show was done by the USU music department and featured various ensembles.

During each musical number, stage lights illuminated the performing ensemble. When the piece was finished, the next group was ready to perform. The pauses were brief and allowed enough time for the next ensemble to start.

“Think of just changing a channel,” said Bankhead, who coordinated the show. “That’s what you’re doing. There’s no applause in between.”

According to Bankhead, this is the second year the department has done this show. He said the planning started in August.

According to Josiah Cordes, a cello player in the show, the orchestra had rehearsed for this concert for about three weeks.

Bankhead said one of the benefits of the show is it brings the music department together. He said this is the only time in which the jazz ensembles, the orchestra, the choirs, classical guitar ensembles and the flute choir play in the same show.

“We never get to hear each other because we’re doing all our things separately,” Bankhead said.

Corey Evans, the producer of the show, said getting all of the performers together was the biggest challenge.

“Music students are notoriously very busy,” Evans said. “They’ve got their normal classes, and then at night they do concerts and rehearsals, and getting seven or eight different ensembles together has been tough.”

According to Evans, proceeds go toward student scholarships.