Entertainment Digest | Thanksgiving Week
Carols & Cocoa, Dana Holiday Concert at Stambaugh
YOUNGSTOWN – Carols & Cocoa and the Dana Holiday Concert, Youngstown State University’s annual holiday music extravaganza, will take place Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave.
The evening will begin with Carols & Cocoa in Stambaugh’s ballroom, featuring seasonal favorites performed by the Dana School of Music Clarinet, Flute and Trombone ensembles, Stambaugh Chorus, Dana Horn Choir, Dana Chorale, YSU barbershop chorus One Achord and the Festival Symphonic Choir, concluding with an audience holiday sing-along. New ensembles performing this year include Voices of YSU and the Gospel Choir.
At intermission, cocoa provided by Stambaugh Auditorium and cookies brought by Dana School of Music students will be available in the upper lobby.
After intermission, the Dana Holiday Concert, directed by Hae-Jong Lee, will be presented in the Concert Hall, featuring music performed by the YSU Wind Ensemble, Dana Symphony Orchestra, Dana Chorale and the Festival Symphonic Choir.
The program will include “African Sanctus” by David Fanshawe and selections from Handel’s “Messiah” as well as a variety of holiday selections.
Dana alumnus Victor Cardamone, tenor, will give a solo performance, and faculty members Misook Yun, soprano, and Kivie Cahn-Lipman, cello, will also perform. Kathryn Davison Miller will perform the organ prelude and postlude.
The Franklin High School Madrigal, Howland High School Chamber Choir, and Stambaugh Chorus will be guest performers.
Tickets are $11 ($6 for students from other schools and senior citizens; free for children under 12 and those with YSU ID) and may be purchased in advance at the Stambaugh box office, by phone at 330 259 0555 and online at StambaughAuditorium.com. Tickets will also be available at the door. All seating is general admission.
Other upcoming YSU holiday events include:
** Keyboard Holiday Extravaganza, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 in Bliss Recital Hall, lower level of Bliss Hall. It will be followed by a concert by Forrest Pierce, a poet and composer, in Ford Theater, at 8 p.m. Both events are free.
** The final Music at Noon program for fall semester, 12:15 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Butler Institute of American Art. Musical theater students will present “A Jolly Holiday.” Admission is free.
** The YSU Horn Studio will host “Horns A’ Caroling” at 1 p.m. Dec. 14 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 323 Wick Ave. French horn players of all ages are welcome to join the horn studio for an afternoon of music making and refreshments. To register, go to YSU.edu/music/horns-a-caroling. The event is free and open to the public.
‘Menopause, the Musical’ Coming to Packard Hall
WARREN – The touring production of the Tony Award-winning “Menopause, the Musical” will come to Packard Music Hall on Feb. 10 for a 7:30 p.m. performance.
“Menopause” uses musical comedy to celebrate women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or have survived “The Change.”
Now in its 18th year of female empowerment, the show has evolved into a movement of women who deal with life adjustments after 40 by embracing each other and the road ahead.
It is set in a department store, where four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain and other symptoms.
They bond with each other and the audience as they rejoice in celebrating that menopause is no longer “The Silent Passage.”
Tickets range from $35 to $75 and are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com and the Packard box office, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW. For group discounts, call 330 841 2931.
Magical Woods, Winter Nights at Fellows Riverside Gardens
YOUNGSTOWN – Fellows Riverside Gardens’ annual winter celebration will begin Nov. 30 at the Davis Education and Visitors Center, and run through Dec. 29.
This year’s theme for the free and family-friendly event is The Magical Woods. The event will take visitors to a land of fairy families and other mystical creatures. Visitors will also be able to participate in a scavenger hunt, and take in displays of beautiful seasonal flowers. The annual tree walk will also be on display throughout the Davis Center where more than 50 nonprofit organizations display their uniquely decorated trees.
The Magical Woods will be open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Every Saturday from Nov. 30 to Dec. 28, the Gardens will be open until 7 p.m. for guests to experience Winter Nights, an outdoor light display highlighting winter’s beauty. Inside the Davis Center, guests will find Unicorn Games and crafts along with live holiday music by local musicians. The gift shop and Garden Café will also be open.
Nonperishable food item donations are being accepted for the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley.
For information, go to MillCreekMetroparks.org.
TubaChristmas, Craft Show at Stambaugh
YOUNGSTOWN – Crafters from Youngstown and surrounding areas will exhibit and sell their work at a holiday craft show Dec. 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Stambaugh Auditorium. Returning for the fifth year, TubaChristmas in the Valley will perform a free concert at 2 p.m. that day in the Concert Hall.
Artisans will showcase items including holiday décor, hand-painted glass and ceramics, pet apparel, handmade artwork, and holiday ornaments. In addition to three floors of crafters, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase lunch items.
TubaChristmas is a celebration of the holidays as tuba players come together and perform a variety of Christmas classics.
For information, go to StambaughAuditorium.com or call 330 747 5175.
Artist to Present Lecture at YSU
YOUNGSTOWN – Pittsburgh-based artist Nica Ross will give a free lecture at 4 p.m. Dec. 2 in Room 1220 of Bliss Hall, on the Youngstown State University campus.
Ross is a visual artist whose work adds elements of technology and video game playing. Ross is an instructor in video media design at Carnegie Mellon University.
Parking is available in the M30 Wick Avenue parking deck for a small fee. For information, call 330 941 2307.
Salem Theater Sets Auditions for ‘Aladdin Jr.’
SALEM – Auditions for Salem Community Theatre’s production of “Aladdin Jr.” will take place at 6 p.m. Dec 15 and 16 at the theater, 490 E. State St. Justin Steele is the director.
Auditionees will be asked to read from the scripts, and must prepare a one-minute section from a song of their choice. There will be no accompanist provided, but a phone or a CD without vocals may be used. Auditionees can also sing a capella.
Actors are being cast from 2nd grade to 18 years old. For information, call 330 332 9688 ext. 3.
Millennial Theatre Hosts Auditions for ‘Shrek, the Musical!’
WARREN – Millennial Theatre Co. will hold auditions for ‘Shrek the Musical!” on Dec. 5 from 6-9 p.m., and Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Girard First United Methodist Church, 22 N Market St., Girard. Use the West Main Street entrance by the green awning, across from City Hall. Headshots and resumes are encouraged, but not required.
Auditionees must prepare a 30- to 60-second selection, with sheet music, in the style of the show. An accompanist will be provided. Auditionees will also do a cold reading from the script. Dance auditions will be scheduled after the first round of auditions. All roles are open. Casting ages 16 and up for all roles; 2 younger actors (ages 8-13) will also be needed for Young Shrek/Young Fiona.
MTC will perform the production March 13-15 at The Robins Theatre, with a special school performance scheduled for March 13 at 10 a.m. The show will be directed by Joe Asente and music directed by Savannah Florkowski.
Rehearsals will take place Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. at The Girard First United Methodist Church beginning in January. No tech week conflicts will be accepted.
For information, go to MillennialTheatre.org.
Pictured: Hae-Jong Lee will again conduct the orchestra and choir at the Dana Holiday Concert on Dec. 4 at Stambaugh Auditorium.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
