Melanie McMillan to perform at the Clay Pot in Florence on December 19th

Melanie McMillan will be performing at the Clay Pot in downtown Florence on December 19th from 6:30 - 8:30.  Click on the image below to hear Melanie's holiday hit, Christmas in Carolina:

The Clay Pot is located at 166 South Dargan Street in downtown Florence.

December 11th: Christmas Hymn Singing at Central United Methodist Church

Live @ Central - Wednesday, December 11, 6:30

 

"Christmas Hymn Singing - from the Methodist Hymnal"

 

This Wednesday the Annual Christmas Hymn singing will be held in the Spears Hall at Central United Methodist Church.  Members of the audience will be encouraged to select their favorite hymns from the Methodist Hymnal for one full hour of singing.  Dr. Bill Hazelwood will lead the singing and will add historical information to some of the songs.  Beverly Hazelwood, Music Associate of the church will accompany the audience.

 

The public is encouraged to attend this evening's singing which is one of the programs in the "Live @ Central" Christmas series.

 

For the “Live @ Central” evening, the Program begins at 6:30.  There is a dinner at 5:30pm. Cost is $5 for adults and $2 for children. 

Reservation for dinner at 843-662-3218.    

December 8th: The Masterworks Choir to present its 35th Annual Christmas Concert

The Masterworks Choir of Florence will present their 35^th annual Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 8 at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm at Central United Methodist Church, Florence, SC.  The 65 voices of the Masterworks Choir will be joined by a chamber orchestra along with eleven soloists, and will be conducted by Dr. William Carswell, Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Music, Dance and Theatre at Coker College.

The program features the joyous Magnificat by J. S. Bach.  Written in Leipzig for the 1723 Christmas Vespers service, the Magnificat was conceived on a grand scale, requiring five soloists, a five-part choir and, for its time, an unusually large orchestra.  The extraordinary impact of Bach’s great choral works derives essentially from his remarkable ability to balance, yet at the same time to exploit to the full, the spiritual and dramatic elements of each text, whether it be one as concise as the Magnificat or as monumental as the St. Matthew Passion.

The second featured work on the program is the Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio) by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.  Saint-Saëns was a great admirer of Bach, even noting in the instrumental introduction to the Oratorio “in the style of J. S. Bach.”  The piece comes from the early part of Saint-Saëns’ career, at a time when sacred music had been in decline.  Written in just eleven days the Christmas Oratorio is a work of great charm which appeals particularly because of its beautiful part-writing and its melodic grace and simplicity.

Vocal soloists for the concert are singers from the ranks of the Masterworks Choir, many familiar in the Florence arts community.  The Magnificat will feature sopranos Rebecca Thompson, Sharyn Mapes, Julie Thomas, Kat Justice and Kari McKeone; alto Ashley Long, tenors Paul Zwiers and Shaw Thompson, and bass Bill Hazelwood.  The Christmas Oratorio soloists include sopranos Rebecca Thompson and Julie Thomas, alto Ashley Long, tenor Shaw Thompson, and basses Bill Hazelwood, Ray Hazelwood, and Steve Mapes.

The Masterworks Christmas concert is always a greatly anticipated musical event in the Pee Dee region.  Admission to all Masterworks concerts is FREE, so you will want to get there early to reserve your seat!

December 7th: Florence Symphony Orchestra to perform Holiday Pops Concert

On Saturday, December 7, 2013 the Florence Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Dr. Terry Roberts, will be performing a special Holiday Pops Concert featuring guest vocalist Bree Boyce. This special night of music will highlight some of your favorite holiday pieces and sing-a-longs.

The Florence Symphony will be performing classic holiday pieces such as Leroy Anderson's Christmas Festival and Sleigh Ride,I'll be home for Christmas, Franz Schubert's Ave Maria, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, and many more. There will also be a fun Sing-A-Long that might just get you on Santa's Nice List if you participate!

The evening will feature guest vocalist Bree Boyce, 2011's Miss South Carolina and the newest WACH Fox News Anchor out of Columbia, South Carolina. She is a Florence native and former Francis Marion University theater student. In September, Boyce returned to her theater roots and performed with the cast of Les Miserables as the character Eponine at the Florence Little Theatre. She is an inspiration for health and living with her "One Step" motto and she will inspire you again on December 7th with her talented voice singing with holiday joy.

Be an inspiration yourself and bring an unwrapped toy the night of the Florence Symphony's Holiday Pops Concert between the hours of 6:30 and 9:00 PM and give some holiday joy to some deserving children!  The Florence Lions Club is sponsoring a Holiday Toy Drive on the night of the Florence Symphony's Holiday Pops Concert on Saturday, December 07, 2013 at the FMU Performing Arts Center. Recipient organizations include: Naomi Project, House of Hope, Lighthouse Ministries, Darlington Fire Dept., Mullins Fire Dept., Leader Dog, FMU Scholarship, Camp Leo for Blind Kids, Storm Eye Research, Treats for Special Children, and Sight Conservation Program. It's a wonderful cause and will definitely get you on Santa's Nice List if you help out.

The Florence Symphony's Holiday Pops Concert will be an evening full of jolly and music! So order your tickets NOW! Prime seating is going quickly! Tickets start at $29 for adults with senior and student discounts available. Call the FMU Performing Arts Box Office at 843.661.4444 to reserve your seats for an amazing holiday concert. The concert is Saturday, December 07, 2013 in the FMU Performing Arts Center beginning at 7:30 PM.

For more concert details visit our website www.florencesymphony.com or call us at the Florence Symphony office 843.661.2541. To order your tickets call the FMU Performing Arts Center Box Office at 843.661.4444 today!

December 8th: The Masterworks Choir to present its 35th Annual Christmas Concert

The Masterworks Choir of Florence will present their 35^th annual Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 8 at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm at Central United Methodist Church, Florence, SC.  The 65 voices of the Masterworks Choir will be joined by a chamber orchestra along with eleven soloists, and will be conducted by Dr. William Carswell, Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Music, Dance and Theatre at Coker College.

The program features the joyous Magnificat by J. S. Bach.  Written in Leipzig for the 1723 Christmas Vespers service, the Magnificat was conceived on a grand scale, requiring five soloists, a five-part choir and, for its time, an unusually large orchestra.  The extraordinary impact of Bach’s great choral works derives essentially from his remarkable ability to balance, yet at the same time to exploit to the full, the spiritual and dramatic elements of each text, whether it be one as concise as the Magnificat or as monumental as the St. Matthew Passion.

The second featured work on the program is the Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio) by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.  Saint-Saëns was a great admirer of Bach, even noting in the instrumental introduction to the Oratorio “in the style of J. S. Bach.”  The piece comes from the early part of Saint-Saëns’ career, at a time when sacred music had been in decline.  Written in just eleven days the Christmas Oratorio is a work of great charm which appeals particularly because of its beautiful part-writing and its melodic grace and simplicity.

Vocal soloists for the concert are singers from the ranks of the Masterworks Choir, many familiar in the Florence arts community.  The Magnificat will feature sopranos Rebecca Thompson, Sharyn Mapes, Julie Thomas, Kat Justice and Kari McKeone; alto Ashley Long, tenors Paul Zwiers and Shaw Thompson, and bass Bill Hazelwood.  The Christmas Oratorio soloists include sopranos Rebecca Thompson and Julie Thomas, alto Ashley Long, tenor Shaw Thompson, and basses Bill Hazelwood, Ray Hazelwood, and Steve Mapes.

The Masterworks Christmas concert is always a greatly anticipated musical event in the Pee Dee region.  Admission to all Masterworks concerts is FREE, so you will want to get there early to reserve your seat!

December 4th: 'Live @ Central' to feature Coker College's Music Program

The Live at Central Christmas program begins with the return of the students and faculty of the Coker College Music Program. The Coker Christmas Festival features the college’s premier choral ensemble, the Coker Singers, as well as the Chamber Singers, Men’s Vocal Ensemble, and members of the music faculty. This is a return command performance, as many of you remember these musicians began our Christmas music season last year. The program will be led by Dr. Will Carswell, Chair of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at Coker College and the Music Director and Conductor of the Masterworks Choir in Florence.

For the “Live @ Central” evening, the Program begins at 6:30 on December 4th. There is a dinner at 5:30pm. Cost is $5 for adults and $2 for children.

Reservation for dinner at 843-662-3218.  Central United Methodist Church is located at 265 West Cheves Street in downtown Florence.          

December 3rd: "Ceremony of Carols" at West Hartsville Baptist Church

The Hartsville Community Chorus along with the Hartsville Children's Chorale will present its 32nd annual Christmas Concert under the direction of Dr. James Beaumier and Sandra Howard at West Hartsville Baptist Church on Tuesday, December 3, 2013, at 7 PM. The featured work will be the popular "Ceremony Of Carols" (written at sea during World War II) by Benjamin Britten for chorus, soloists, and harp, along with other seasonal selections. Admission is free to the general public.