Songs of the Season

  

"Songs of the Season" Brings Holiday Cheer to Santa Fe College on Nov. 22

October 25, 2024 – Get into the holiday spirit early as the Santa Fe Singers, joined by special guests from the Gainesville Youth Chorus, present "Songs of the Season" on Friday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m. The performance will take place in the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall at Santa Fe College's Northwest Campus, located at 3000 NW 83 Street, Gainesville.

Tickets are $16 for adults; $10 for seniors, students, military service members and children 12 and under; and free for SF students, faculty, and staff with college ID cards. Tickets are available from the Fine Arts Hall box office at 352-395-4181 or online from Showpass at showpass.com/songs-of-the-season-3.

The Santa Fe Singers, led by SF Adjunct Associate Professors of Music Mitchell Rorick and Wendy Gunther, will be joined by the Gainesville Youth Chorus as special guests. The Chorus's Concert Choir and Concertina Choir, featuring young vocalists aged seven to 17, will perform both individually and in collaboration with the Santa Fe Singers, adding an extra layer of harmony to the evening.

"Songs of the Season" will feature a mix of festive pieces performed by the Santa Fe Singers and the Gainesville Youth Chorus, including works by Mozart, Greg Gilpin, and others, with several combined performances planned.

“The concert this year celebrates the joy of music, peace around the world, and spending time together in community,” Rorick said. “You can look forward to songs in a variety of styles, from jazz to folk to classical.” 

Mitchell Rorick has a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Florida State University in Tallahassee and a Master of Music degree in Organ and Church Music from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington. He taught music at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. He is currently Assistant Artistic Director of the Gainesville Youth Chorus and Director of Music and organist at Gainesville’s First Presbyterian Church.

Wendy Chen Gunther is in her first year as Co-Director of the Santa Fe Singers. She holds a Ph.D. and M.M. in music education from the University of Miami and a B.M.E. from Wheaton College. She received the Frost School of Music’s “Outstanding Graduate Student Award” in 2020 and co-founded the Miami Community Music Center in 2021, expanding its services to Gainesville in 2024. Wendy is an active community musician as a singer, handbell ringer and accompanist. 

“Songs of the Season” is sponsored and organized by the Santa Fe College Fine Arts and Entertainment Technology Department.