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By Christoph Dundas

AHS Band Director

The calendar has turned to December, which means the APS Music Department is kicking off a busy season of music performances!

The holiday season kicked off in late November with performances by the Austinaires. In all, the group will have 22 performances in 29 days, including 20 in just 18 days in December! This year’s Austinaires look forward to sharing music with many Austin residents at community clubs, churches, businesses, assisted living and nursing homes, and more. “The three weeks of Holiday performances are a blur for students by the end,” explains Kalle Akkerman, AHS Choir Director. “But it is worth it every year to see the musical growth in students and the joy it brings to community members.”

For a real community treat, the Austinaires will be joined by Jazz One, La Fiera, and the Choralaires for the “Sounds of the Season” concert at the Paramount on Sunday, Dec. 8. Join us at 2 p.m. for a holiday flavor of the AHS extracurricular ensembles. Tickets are available at the door or in advance on the Austin Artworks website. This is your last chance to catch AHS ensembles at the Paramount before their doors close for renovation in 2025.

Knowlton Auditorium will be filled with music starting with two concerts on Dec. 9. Colin Zidlicky and Ethan Wightkin direct the fifth and seventh grade bands starting at 6 p.m., followed by a 7:15 p.m. concert by the sixth-eighth grade orchestras with Leah Motl and Jacob Crosby.

These concerts give our sixth graders an opportunity to hear seventh grade band and orchestra as students select classes for next year. Audiences can experience the growth and development from one year to the next as they hear 3 grades perform back-to-back.

Dec. 12 puts choral music into the spotlight as Kim Zerke brings the fifth-eighth grade choirs to Knowlton Auditorium. The concert will start at 6:30 p.m. — slightly earlier than last year to avoid a late night for younger students. This is Mrs. Zerke’s first year working with the middle school choirs, and the students are excited to share the music they have been learning.

APS ensembles briefly vacate Knowlton Auditorium Dec. 13-15 to make room for the Austin Symphony Orchestra’s “Toyland” with Michael Veldman and Friends, but it is a short turnaround as Austin High School caps the month of concerts with the AHS Holiday Concert on Dec. 16.

Beginning at 7 p.m., the AHS Holiday Concert features all three AHS choirs, the AHS wind ensemble, and the AHS symphony orchestra, along with the longstanding tradition of closing with G. F. Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Come early! We have smaller ensembles performing pre-concert music in the hallways and commons starting at 6:20 p.m., so there is plenty to hear after you choose your seat!

The concert will also feature an exciting collaboration between the AHS Symphony Orchestra and three generations of local music legends: Sue Radloff on violin, Kalle Akkerman on harpsichord, and Emma Stanley on flute.

As described by orchestra director Gene Schott, “It is incredible that we can feature people representing three eras of Austin’s music history!”