Fall Community Jazz Concert – November 27, 2023
THATCHER, Ariz.—Eastern Arizona College’s Community Jazz Ensemble will take the stage for its annual Fall Community Jazz Concert on Monday, November 27, at 7 p.m., in the EAC Activities Center – Lee Little Theater. Admission to the concert is free.
Members of the ensemble have enrolled in a class taught by Dr. Gary Sorensen and include Dr. Phil McBride, David Griffith, Ruth Young, Dillon Casey, Julia Bauman, Kyle Casey, Kurt Adams, Dr. Richard Keith, David Olson, David Udall, Will Oldroyd, Marlin Whetten, Paul Roberts, Karen Preston, Ken Raines, Brent Ricks, Joe Sharp, Kei Sundt, Kay Ferrin, Tanya McNeill, Katy Crandall, Timothy Faucett, and Ethan McBride and Jenny Keith.
The audience will enjoy jazz standards along with popular music from musicians like Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, Blood Sweat and Tears, Michael Bublé, Harry James, Rogers and Hammerstein, and Tonny Bennet & Amy Winehouse.
Admission to the Spring Community Jazz Concert is free. For more information about this fun, family-friendly event, contact Sorensen at gary.sorensen@eac.edu.
Festival of Carols: A Candlelight Christmas – November 29, 2023
Eastern Arizona College’s Fine Arts Division has teamed up to invite the entire community to come and enjoy its annual Christmas gift to the Gila Valley, Festival of Carols: A Candlelight Christmas! The show is planned for Wednesday, November 29, at 7 p.m., in the EAC Fine Arts Auditorium. Admission is free, however; the Fine Arts Division will be collecting nonperishable food items that will be donated to the College’s food pantry, Monster Exchange. Attendees are encouraged to bring a donation to help our students through the holidays.
This Christmas music extravaganza will feature EAC’s Choral and Instrumental Music Departments, as well as many beloved EAC choir groups, performing songs from traditional Christmas music to modernized versions of well-loved favorites. It will also include the beloved sing-along that audiences have come to love.
“Festival of Carols is a gift we prepare with care and love,” said Chase Moore, EAC associate professor of music, and director of Festival. “It is rare to see a show like this that includes groups across all disciplines. It takes a lot of coordination to pull it together, so we really hope that everyone can attend and ‘sing-in’ the holiday spirit,” he said.
Performing this year is EAC’s Wind Ensemble, Dance class, A Capella Choir, Symphonic Orchestra, The GilaSoul Singers, Jazz Band, and Encore. “This is a show you don’t want to miss and is a great way to open your Christmas season!”
For more information about this fun, family-friendly event, contact Moore at (928) 428-8467, or chase.moore@eac.edu.
87th Annual Messiah – Sunday December 10, 2023
Eastern Arizona College’s Fine Arts Division presents the 87th annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, on Sunday, December 10, at 7 p.m. in the EAC Fine Arts Auditorium. Community, alumni, and college singers will combine with the EAC Orchestra to continue the longest continual Messiah performance tradition west of the Mississippi River.
The tradition began on December 18, 1936, when EAC’s Choir director, Ben S. Johnson, presented Handel’s Messiah with a choir of 65 college students and 35 community members. Through the years the College has added strings and other instruments.
Messiah, with its majestic biblical text, magnified by Handel’s score, recounts the drama of the birth, life, and mission of a boy born as King of Kings and Prince of Peace. This story lies at the heart of this continuing Gila Valley winter tradition.
Handel’s Messiah will be presented free of charge.
