(Posted November 12, 2007)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The holidays will be given some Brazilian spice in a Juniata College Choral Union concert that focuses on Christmas classics mixed with Brazilian and Argentine folk songs at 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 18 in Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts on the Juniata campus. The concert is free and open to the public. The concert has been arranged and programmed by guest conductor Cicero Alves, director of the choir Coronlaine, from Bahia, Brazil. Alves, who brought his Brazilian choir to Juniata in 2005 to tour Pennsylvania, is a visiting professor of music at Juniata. He is teaching Juniata\'s vocal courses and directing the choir during the sabbatical of Russell Shelley, Elma Stine Heckler Associate Professor of Music. Another Juniata faculty member, John Bukowski, associate professor of mathematics, will open the concert by performing several piano compositions by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, one of South America\'s top classical composers. Bukowski and Tara Fitzsimmons, a Science in Motion educator and a clarinetist, next will team up to play \"Voo Definitivo,\" a composition for piano and clarinet written by Alves. The Choral Union will sing selections related to Christmas and the American spiritual tradition, including \"Oh, Happy Day\" and \"And He Shall Be Like a Tree.\" The choral union also will sing a variety of Brazilian songs, such as \"Hino de Louvor (Anthem for Glory)\" and \"Natal Baiano (Christmas Song from Bahia),\" both composed by Alves. Other selections include \"Ave Maria de Morro,\" \"Canto de Povo un Lugar,\" \"Gira Estrela (Brazilian Christmas Song),\" \"Bumba Meu Bei\" and \"Verano Porteno,\" an Argentine tango. The Choral Union is the largest choral ensemble at Juniata with a student membership of 75 and another 35 members from communities in the Huntingdon area. The Juniata Choral Union traditionally performs larger choral works.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.