‘Let heaven and nature sing!’ – Pacelli High School Christmas Concert season opens with Northwestern Singers benefit
Published 7:32 am Friday, December 1, 2017
- The Pacelli High School Concert Choir, under the direction of Ben Mahlke, rehearses for the Northwestern Singers Benefit Concert. Photos provided.
By Ben Mahlke
Pacellli K-12 Music and Choir teacher
We are back for another exciting holiday season! My name is Ben Mahlke and I am kicking off my third year here at Pacelli Catholic Schools teaching music to students in grades K-12 by talking to you about our wonderful music program. The Pacelli High School Concert Choir continues to maintain strong numbers this year and we hope to grow as we move toward the future. We are working on performing more complex and musically diverse choral literature as well as striving to reveal our passion for music to the whole Austin community.
We started this year with the Northwestern Singers Benefit concert in which both the Pacelli Elementary Clover Choir and Pacelli High School Concert Choir performed. We raised, with the help of the community, friends and family who attended, a significant amount of money for the Pacelli choral program. We are truly grateful for all the support from the community and to the Northwestern Singers for providing such a great opportunity for Pacelli, and ALL Austin music students, to perform and expand their musical experiences.
We continue to showcase the talent that Pacelli has to offer and we have been blessed to be a part of different community events, which include; singing for the Hormel Veterans Day Ceremony, appearing at the Lions Club Luncheon, and performing for the communities at Sacred Heart and The Cedars Assisted Living.
The Pacelli High School Concert Choir opened its Christmas season with the Northwestern Singers Benefit concert.
We are all looking forward to our upcoming Christmas programs. It starts with the pre-school concerts at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11 and Tuesday, Dec. 12. The Middle School/High School Concert will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13, and features not only our choirs but also our band and orchestra ensembles.
Finally, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14, we will have the elementary Christmas concert, which will feature grades K-5, our Clover Choir, and select performances by students in our band and orchestra programs. A reception, with cookies and juice, will be held in the student lounge after each of the aforementioned performances as well as student art displays in the hallway and a Book Fair in the Media Center. I could not be more proud of what these students have accomplished. I am so happy to be a part of this wonderful musical community!
If you are interested in learning more about Pacelli Catholic Schools visit our website at www.pacellischools.org, email admin@pacellischools.org or call 507-437-3278.
