CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa Arts Alliance-North members pronounced the first CALA: Crestview Area Loves the Arts Christmas festival a success. The Saturday event at the Crestview Public Library drew a steady stream of visitors who admired local artists’ works and did a bit of Christmas shopping.

Arts alliance President Rae Schwartz said the event’s reception means it likely will be repeated at the beginning of December 2013, perhaps with some tweaks.

“This was our first holiday season CALA,” Schwartz said. “We didn’t get as much publicity out as we would’ve liked, but we still had a good turnout. People like supporting this type of quality artwork and these gifts are unique. They aren’t things you’re going to find in a chain store.”

Live entertainment was provided by Paulette Loomis, matron of the Loomis Brothers, whose circus recently visited Crestview, and Jenna Lewis, the latest generation of a singing family whose grandmother, Saundra Daggs, recently sang with the DownBeat Jazz Orchestra.

However, next year, organizers may add tables in the center of the room to provide for more artists, and reserve entertainment to background, pre-recorded seasonal music, Schwartz said.

“The vocalists were lovely, but I think for this event it will be better to just concentrate on the artists and their work,” she said.

Works on exhibit at Saturday’s event included a variety of pieces in multiple dimensions including Keith Gutshall’s turned woodworking, Trace Connelly’s jewelry and painted ceramic ware, Mary Richardson’s hand-bound books, and fabric art by the mother-daughter team of Christie and Jasmine Maughon. Attendees also browsed photography, painted phonograph records, needlework and crocheted works.

Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CALA blossoms for the holidays

NICEVILLE — The Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra will ring in the holiday season in festive style 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7 with a Holiday Pops concert featuring light classics and carol sing-a-longs. The Northwest Florida Symphony Chorale and the Belle Voci women's vocal ensemble will join the orchestra for this annual in the Mattie Kelly Arts Center's Mainstage theater on the Niceville campus of Northwest Florida State College.

The concert continues the orchestra's 25th season celebration and includes works such as "Deck the Halls," "Let it Snow," "Sleigh Ride," "Sweet Little Jesus Boy,""God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Veni Veni" and George Frederic Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus."

Tickets are available by phone or web for $22.50 each for adults or $16 for youths age 18 and younger and active duty military. Current NWFSC students may request one free ticket per student ID in person from the box office. Ticket sales are available through www.mattiekellyartscenter.org. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Holiday Pops concert Dec. 7 at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center

The Okaloosa Chamber Singers’ “Carols and Candlelight” concerts last weekend proved one of the season’s loveliest Christmas gifts. A sumptuous buffet of classical and popular seasonal tunes, the performances let audiences feast on a bounty for the ear and soul, and participate in several beloved and familiar selections.

Several attendees at both concerts praised director Marilyn Overturf afterward for what they felt was the chamber singers’ best concert ever, and I concur.

A seven-piece orchestra, accompanied by an organ, piano and even congas on several pieces of the evening’s program, joined the 21-voice ensemble, enhancing the performances’ beauty and depth.

“I’ve been real proud of this little group,” Overturf said after the Friday and Sunday concerts in Fort Walton Beach and DeFuniak Springs.

The concert’s first half featured selections from the Renaissance, Romantic and Classical periods highlighted by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata No. 140, “Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns die Stimme” (Awaken, the Voice Calls). The piece, first performed more than 280 years ago in Leipzig, displayed the choir’s talents and featured several of its soloists as well as the small orchestra.

The concert’s second half exercised the ensemble’s versatility, and offered opportunities for the audience to join in, including singing along to one of two Mark Hayes arrangements. His interpretation of the solemn “Silent Night, Holy Night” featured glorious vocals and instrumentals, and nearly the full house’s voices.

The Chamber Singers even got a little jiggy, interjecting a bit of Caribbean riddum into “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy.” The jazzy Hayes arrangement of “Let it Snow!” and Sammy Cahn and Jules Styne’s classic “The Christmas Waltz” were fresh interpretations of popular favorites. All too soon, the audience rose to troll the ancient Yuletide carol as we joined the Chamber Singers in “Deck the Hall,” the program’s last number.

There’s no denying the Okaloosa Chamber Singers’ technical expertise. Under Overturf’s direction, they could have easily tackled an evening of purely classical choral music and still been delightful. But the inclusion of familiar, popular holiday standards and the opportunity to share the vocal duties endeared the ensemble to its audiences and left us hungry for more.

Overturf said she has not had the chance to contemplate a Chamber Singers spring concert, but that hasn’t stopped her from mulling over some ideas.

“We’re talking about doing a festival of hymns, which is a nice program. But we don’t have anything in concrete. One of my singers is also thinking it would be fun to do an a capella program. I always get suggestions from my singers.”

Until then, here’s a heartfelt “thank you” for this special Christmas gift from the Okaloosa Chamber Singers.

And I have at least two more presents to unwrap: Christmas concerts from the Crestview High School on Dec. 13 and Schola Cantorum on Dec. 17.

Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: REVIEW: ‘Carols and Candlelight’ was a feast for the ears

FORT WALTON BEACH — The Okaloosa Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Marilyn Overturf, celebrates its 15th season with Christmas concerts at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 at Trinity United Methodist Church on Racetrack Road in Fort Walton Beach and at 4 p.m. Dec. 2 at First United Methodist Church in DeFuniak Springs on the Circle.

The DeFuniak Springs concert is sponsored by The Florida Chautauqua Inc.

"Carols and Candlelight" brings warmth and the spirit of the season through the carols and arrangements of John Rutter and Mark Hayes, as does Bach’s Advent Cantata 140, "Wake, Awake" with chamber orchestra.

Featured instrumental soloists include Ingrid Roberts, violin, and Alice Biggar, oboe, and OCS soloists, sopranos Esther Tiedemann, Uma Jolly, and Nancy Ratcliff, with basses, Richard Montague and David Jones.

There will be audience participation in carol singing. Okaloosa Chamber Singers concerts are free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $15 per person or $25 dollars per couple.

Contact Dr. Overturf at 682-9651 or email marilyno@cox.net.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa Chamber Singers to present Christmas concerts

CRESTVIEW — With cards to write and send, presents to buy and wrap, fruitcakes to re-gift, decorations to put up and all the rest of the Christmas hubbub, it’s easy for the holiday’s message to get lost among the frenzy.

Fortunately, opportunities abound to relax and let the season’s joy overflow at the north county’s many live Christmas concerts. Student, community and professional groups offer a bounty of holiday music, with many performances free or at a small cost.

• ‘Carols and Candlelight’

Nov. 30 and Dec. 2• Okaloosa Chamber Singers, under Dr. Marilyn Overturf’s direction, celebrates its 15th season with Christmas concerts at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 at Trinity United Methodist Church on Racetrack Road in Fort Walton Beach, and 4 p.m. Dec. 2 at First United Methodist Church in DeFuniak Springs. The DeFuniak Springs concert is sponsored by the Florida Chautauqua, which will serve refreshments after the concert.

Selections bring the season’s warmth and spirit through the carols and arrangements of John Rutter, Mark Hayes and J.S. Bach, including his Advent Cantata 140, “Wake, Awake,” which a chamber orchestra will accompany. There will be audience participation in carol singing, including “O Come all Ye Faithful,”  “Silent Night” and “Deck the Halls.”

The concerts are free, with a suggested $15 donation per person or $25 per couple.

Contact Overturf, 682-9651 or marilyno@cox.net, for more details. Visit okaloosachambersingers.org to hear performances.

• Baker School band Christmas concert

Dec. 4 • The Baker School middle school band presents its annual Christmas concert of holiday favorites at 7:30 p.m. in the school auditorium. Admission is free.

• Holiday Pops Concert

Dec. 7• The Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra will celebrate the holiday season in festive style at 7:30 p.m. with a Holiday Pops Concert featuring light classics, pops selections and the ever-popular carol sing-a-longs. The Northwest Florida Symphony Chorale and the Belle Voci women’s vocal ensemble will join the orchestra for this popular annual event held in the Mainstage theater of the Mattie Kelly Arts Center on the Niceville campus of Northwest Florida State College.

The concert continues the orchestra’s 25th season celebration and includes works such as “Deck the Halls,” “Let it Snow,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Sweet Little Jesus Boy,” “Sanctus (Processional),” “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” “Veni  Veni” and George Frederic Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Tickets are available by phone or web for $22.50 each for adults or $16 for youth age 18 and younger and active duty military. Current NWFSC students may request one free ticket per student ID in person from the Box Office. Online ticket sales are available through www.mattiekellyartscenter.org. 

• Davidson Winter Concert

Dec. 11• The Davidson Middle School chorus performs its annual Winter Concert at 6:30 p.m. in the Crestview High School Pearl Tyner Auditorium. Admission is free.

Selections, some of which will spotlight solo vocalists, include “The Three O’Clock Rehearsal of Combined Band and Chorus for The Very Merry Christmas Musicale,” “Feliz Navidad,” “Island Noel,” “Let it Snow!,” “Candle in Your Heart” and “Carol of the Bells.”

• Baker high school band Christmas concert

Dec. 11• The Baker School high school band presents its annual Christmas concert of holiday favorites at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Admission is free.

• Crestview High School chorus Christmas concert

Dec. 13• The 130-voice Crestview High School chorus’ Christmas Concert is at 7 p.m. in the Pearl Tyner Auditorium. An eclectic program of traditional and contemporary seasonal tunes, plus other choral works, will comprise the evening.

Included will be the humorous but challenging “Fruit Cake” song. The concert concludes with the massed chorus and alumni performance of the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah.” Tickets — $5 adults, $2 students — are  available at the door.

• ‘A Victorian Christmas’

Dec. 13 •A festive night of Victorian holiday traditions with Christmas carols, dancing, desserts, wassail and a special visit from Father Christmas will be 7:30 p.m. in the Mattie Kelly Arts Center’s McIlroy Gallery at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.

“A Victorian Christmas” features the college’s 26-voice mixed Madrigals Singers ensemble, the women’s Belle Voci ensemble, and the 12-member NWFSC dance ensemble.

This event is sold out but no-show tickets might be available at the door. Tickets are $25 each. All proceeds go to the NWFSC Fine Arts Scholarship fund.

• Schola Cantorum Christmas concert

Dec. 17• Schola Cantorum, the Northwest Florida State College-based “school of singing,” will present its annual Christmas concert series, including a 7 p.m. performance at First Presbyterian Church of Crestview. The ensemble comprises trained vocalists from throughout the county under Dr. John Leatherwood’s direction.

The group will perform a repertoire of seasonal music from several centuries, including “The Wexford Carol,” “Sir Christèmas” and “Amid the Calm of Winter’s Rest.” Selections also include “As with Gladness Men of Old” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Admission is free, though a donation will be accepted.

Contact Leatherwood, 729-6071 or leatherj@nwfsc.edu, for more details.

• Baker School choral concert

Dec. 18• The Baker School middle and high school choruses will present their Christmas concert of seasonal music at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Admission is free.

• Big Red Machine Christmas concert

Dec. 18 • The 280-member Crestview High School band will present its annual Christmas concert at 7 p.m. in Pearl Tyner Auditorium. Expect seasonal favorites and other orchestral musical treats from the band’s several ensembles, including swinging holiday sounds by the jazz band. Admission is free.

Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Christmas concerts set throughout December in Okaloosa County

NICEVILLE — When “Fiddler on the Roof” opened Sept. 22, 1964, it ran 3,242 performances before closing almost eight years later. It was revived four times on the Great White Way alone and has had thousands of productions around the world.

Now, the latest national tour of the show that brought such Broadway standards as “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Tradition,” “Sunrise, Sunset” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” comes Dec. 3 to the Mattie Kelley Arts Center.

A full-scale musical masterpiece, the professional touring production features a crew of 67 actors, musicians and technical staff to recreate and populate Anatevka, a poor Russian Jewish village in 1905, on the Russian Revolution’s eve.

Times, they are a-changing, even for the village’s sheltered people.

“Fiddler” has stolen audiences’ hearts all over the world with its humor, warmth and honesty. Based on Sholom Aleichem’s stories, it has a rousing, heartwarming score and timeless songs as Tevye, a poor milkman, tries to keep his family and village’s beloved traditions and faith strong despite a changing world.

With memorable, hummable tunes by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, Broadway legend Hal Prince directed and choreographed the original production.

In the production coming to Northwest Florida State, veteran Broadway actors Jimmy Ferraro and Dee Etta Rowe, who have actually been married to each other for 25 years, just like their characters, will play the starring roles of Tevye and his wife Goldie.

With its warmth and sometimes rousing, sometimes heartfelt numbers, “Fiddler on the Roof” is a celebration of “Tradition” and a salute “To Life.”

La chaim!

Want to go?

The national “Fiddler on the Roof” tour plays at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at Northwest Florida State College’s Mattie Kelley Arts Center. Tickets are $45 each from the box office by phone, online or in person. Call 729-6000 or see www.mattiekellyartscenter.org.

Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: PREVIEW: ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ coming Dec. 3 to Niceville