The University of Scranton to Present Noel Night Concert

Continuing a beloved holiday season tradition, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present its 56th annual Noel Night concert on Saturday, Dec. 2.  The concert, which is open to the public, will begin at 8 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and prelude beginning at 7:05 p.m. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.

Considered the University’s Christmas gift to the community, Noel Night has been a must-attend event for many Scranton-area residents since its founding more than a half-century ago by the Rev. Edward Gannon, S.J.

This year’s Noel Night will feature performances by The University of Scranton Singers, String Orchestra and Flute Ensemble. Outdoor instrumental caroling by members of the University Bands will greet audience members as they arrive.

According to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, the program will include a variety of sacred selections – including music by Ivo Antognini, Randol Alan Bass, Franz Biebl, Robert Ray, Igor Stravinsky, John Rutter and others – interspersed with readings of Nativity texts. Included in the program are works sung in English, Chinese, Latin, Russian and Zulu. Pianist for the evening is Ron Stabinsky, and Christopher Johnson is organist.

The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled University of Scranton students are eligible for membership in the bands, choirs, and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.