On Wednesday, November 28, 2007, the UCC–Judd St. Handbell Ringers and the Kapi’olani Community College Synthesizer Ensemble will be performing Christmas music in concert together at Kahala Mall Centerstage from 8:00-8:45pm. This concert will be a new venture for me, as I have previously directed these ensembles in their separate holiday concerts, but have never combined both groups fully until now. I am really looking forward to the new challenges that this event will bring, as well as the chance to simultaneously showcase the church and college ensembles while sharing our love of music with others.
Each group will be performing fifteen minutes of their own selections, but the high point of the concert is the twenty-minute combination of rich sound that results from combining these special groups together. The instrumentation includes five octaves of handbells, six keyboards and an acoustic Steinway concert grand piano, three flutes, light percussion, and two soprano soloists. There will also be gospel hula and sign language to accompany ”Silent Night”. I will be accompanying both ensembles on piano for some of the selections, as well as performing a flute descant on “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”.