JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
A long-standing tradition will continue in December for Randolph Field Independent School District's music makers.
Randolph Middle School and Randolph High School band members will fill the Taj Mahal theater with the sounds of the season at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 for their annual winter concert, while choir members from grades 6-12 will lift their voices in song at 6 p.m. Dec. 20 in the district's fine arts center.
"We've always had a winter concert," Hector Perez, Randolph High School Band director, said. "It's an opportunity to show off the skills of the kids and to present something on base to celebrate the season."
For the second year in a row, the bands will perform in the Taj theater.
"It's a lot nicer because the kids get to perform in an auditorium setting," Perez said. "Before, the winter concert was performed in the gym. So it's a big deal for the kids."
The concert is also a family affair, he said. The audience includes the band members' families and extended families, as well as former band members.
"It's all about the families," Perez said. "Some people even fly in for the concert."
The event will kick off with three songs by sixth-graders and three by seventh- and eighth-grade musicians. Selections will include "Jingle Bells," "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)."
Steve Giovanoni, Randolph Middle School Band director, said the sixth-grade members' performance will be their first in public.
"But they'll be just fine," he said. "It will be exciting for them."
Giovanoni said it's "rewarding to see the students' growth" as they perform in public.
The Ro-Hawk high school band, which recently earned its 19th consecutive superior rating in University Interscholastic League competition, will begin its performance at 7:30 p.m. with an audience sing-along featuring "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Silver Bells," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."
They will also perform "A Christmas Selection" and four movements from "The Nutcracker" Suite before concluding the concert with "Auld Lang Syne."
Joyce Sullivan, the district's choir director, said their winter concert will start with three songs each by sixth- and seventh-grade members, including "Let It Snow," "Beboppin' Santa Claus" and "O Holy Night."
Choir members in grades 8-12 will perform "The Wassail Song," "Sleigh Ride" and "Fum, Fum, Fum" and will be joined by sixth- and seventh-graders for a three-song finale.
Sullivan said the winter concert "seems to be the most enjoyable concert for everybody because it's a celebration of the season.
"It seems to bring a twinkle to everyone's eyes," she said. "There is something about Christmas music that lifts our spirits."