Published: December 11, 2020
Popular Holiday Concert To Be Rebroadcast on WEDU PBS on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
The renowned University of Tampa Holiday Concert “Let Heaven and Nature Sing: A Holiday Tradition,” which was performed live last year and broadcast by WEDU PBS, will be rebroadcast this year on WEDU on Christmas Eve (Thursday, Dec. 24) at 9 p.m., and on Christmas Day (Friday, Dec. 25) at 3 p.m. It will also be broadcast on WEDQ on Christmas Day at 10 p.m.
The broadcast was recorded by UT students and faculty in the College of Arts and Letters, bringing the magic of the holidays on campus into Tampa Bay residents’ homes.
The concert, which is part of the Damron Concert Artist Series and is set annually in the University’s Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values, is a Tampa Bay holiday tradition featuring University of Tampa music students and faculty performing a variety of holiday classics. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not held this year.
The broadcast was recorded by UT students and faculty in the College of Arts and Letters, bringing the magic of the holidays on campus into Tampa Bay residents’ homes. The production team recorded footage at two rehearsals, as well as at the live performances.
Under the backdrop of the 3,184-pipe organ, the performance includes pieces by the University’s Chamber Singers and Camerata, under the direction of Ryan Hebert, associate professor of music and director of UT’s choral studies. The concert also included a brass ensemble comprised of James Kluesner and Joshua Lurie, trumpets; Brandon McDannald, horn; and Stan Wilkerson, trombone. Pianists Grigorios Zamparas and Corey Merenda, and organist Dwight Thomas also performed.
“This year would have marked the 10th anniversary of this concert in Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values,” Hebert said. “While I’m sad that we cannot perform our concert this year, the rebroadcast from last year’s performance gives us hope and something to look forward to in 2021.”
