Music Department Releases Fall 2024 Concert Calendar
The Pacific University Music Department kicks off its 2024-25 performance season with six concerts through November and December.
The Fall 2024 concert schedule opens on Friday, Nov. 1, with the premiere performances of the university’s choirs under its new director of choral activities, Katy Green. The season concludes with the annual Holiday Concert on Saturday, Dec. 7, featuring Pacific’s choirs and Symphonic Band.
The schedule includes a one-weekend, two-performance run of the musical Ride The Cyclone on Saturday, Nov. 16, and Sunday, Nov. 17.
All Music Department performances take place in McCready Hall in the Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center on Pacific’s Forest Grove Campus. Unless noted, general admission tickets for all concerts are $10. Seniors, military members and non-Pacific University students are $7. Pacific students, faculty and staff are admitted free. Tickets must be purchased in advance online.
Friday, Nov. 1 | Fall Choral Concert | Purchase Tickets
This season-opening performance provides a transformative journey, guiding listeners to find their inner strength. Each piece is designed to provoke emotions that help us confront challenges, heal and ultimately find peace. This concert is an exploration of the soul, a path to reconnect with our deepest selves, and a reminder of the strength that lies within each of us. Student-led groups Vera Voce and Splendid Audacity will also perform.
Friday, Nov. 15 | Jazz Nite | Purchase Tickets
Under the direction of Michael Burch-Pesses, Pacific’s fall Jazz Nite will feature standards from the most famous composers in jazz, including Count Basie (“Jumpin’ at the Woodside” and “April In Paris”), Duke Ellington (“It Don’t Mean A Things If It Ain’t Got That Swing”) and Jerome Kern (“Yesterdays”). The concert will feature more recent compositions including “Jordu” and “Zoot Suit Riot.” In addition to the band, the concert features vocalists Cait Wilson ’27 and Sydney Timm ’27.
Nov. 16 & 17 | Ride The Cyclone | Purchase Tickets
Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2:30 p.m.
Directed by Anne McKee Reed, with book, music and lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, Ride The Cyclone takes reaching for the skies to a new whole new meaning as the lives of six members of a Canadian chamber choir are cut short when they take a fearful roller-coaster ride to the great beyond. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each person to tell a story to win a prize like no other — the chance to return to life. This gritty, comedic musical poses the question of what makes a life well-lived or, in some cases, worth saving.
General admission tickets are $10, or $5 for non-Pacific students and military. Pacific students, staff and faculty admitted free but must reserve tickets online in advance. This show features mature content, including strong language, and references to sex, drugs and violence. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
Friday, Nov. 23 | Pacific Philharmonic Orchestra Fall Concert | Purchase Tickets
Under the direction of Dijana Ihas, the Pacific Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Edward Elgar’s “Serenade for Strings” as well as his “Nimrod” variation. The second half of the concert will feature Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and The Wolf” and Leopold Mozart’s “Toy Symphony.”
Saturday, Nov. 24 | Symphonic Band Fall Concert | Purchase Tickets
Under the direction of Michael Burch-Pesses, Pacific University’s Symphonic Band concert will feature a repertoire of new and proven works for band, including the famous “First Suite in E-Flat” by Gustav Holst and the beautiful “Concertino” by Cecile Chaminade, featuring flutist Sanne Cai ’25. Newer compositions will include Omar Thomas’ “Of Our New Day Begun” and “Siren Songs” from Andrew David Perkins’ award-winning “Tuebor Suite.”
Saturday, Dec. 7 | Holiday Concert | Purchase Tickets
The 2024 Pacific University Holiday Concert will feature performances by the Chamber Singers, Concert Choir, Symphonic Band, Vera Voce and Splendid Audacity. The Chamber Singers will present Sofia Söderberg’s “Noël Nouvelet,” Javier Busto’s “Hodie Christus Natus Est” and Elaine Hagenberg’s “Alleluia.” The Concert Choir will present John Leavitt’s “Festival Sanctus,” Eric Whitacre’s “Glow,” and Ralph Vaughn Williams’ classic carol, “Gloucestershire Wassail.” The Symphonic Band will perform the ever-popular “Sleigh Ride,” “Minor Alterations,” a medley of Christmas favorites in minor key, and “Do You Hear What I Hear.” The concert will include with a festive sing-along of holiday favorites.