When vocalist Laura Neel walked onto the stage of Kresge Auditorium for last year's Holiday Gala, she was expecting to see an audience of 100. Instead, she found herself standing in front of the 1,400 audience members for the first annual Holiday Gala.
This weekend, Neel will join over 200 students from the School of Music in performing its second annual holiday concert. The concert will include music from various holiday traditions performed by the Chamber Singers, University Chorus, University Orchestra, University Band, Jazz Band and several smaller ensembles. Due to the overwhelming number of attendants at last December's concert, the ensembles and soloists will give two performances this year: one on Saturday evening and a Sunday matinee.
Neel, a junior member of the University Chorus, said the large audience at last year's gala has motivated the performers to create another memorable kick-off for the holiday season.
"[The concert is] something that makes everyone excited to go home for Christmas and spend time with family," Neel said. "It's everyone's favorite songs amplified by 100 when you're in that environment with live music blasting out holiday cheer."
Mark McCoy, dean of the School of Music, also said he thinks gala attendees will enjoy what the concert has to offer.
"The holidays are about getting together with friends and family, and this is that opportunity musically," McCoy said. "This is a great opportunity to come and hear a lot of different styles and types of music by a lot of different, talented musicians."
While the School of Music presents a variety of concerts during the school year, McCoy said the Holiday Gala is "radically different" since it features over 200 musicians in one performance.
McCoy, upon his hiring as the dean in 2011, has wanted to develop concert audiences and expose more community members to the wealth of talent in the School of Music. Since he started the Holiday Gala tradition at Shepherd University, McCoy thought a holiday concert could help break down the divide between DePauw and the Greencastle community.
"I think sports and music are the front porch of the university," McCoy said. "They're the folks that reach out to the community and invite folks on."
McCoy hopes that as more community members realize the talent in the School of Music, the audiences will grow. He's already seen an improvement. The number of attendees, known as the house, is up almost 30 percent this year.
"The School of Music does such good things all the time, all year round, that they need to be seen," Neel said. "People need to come and enjoy what we're putting on."
Like Neel, senior vocalist Emma Scherer is interested in getting more community members to the concerts.
"It's really great to see unfamiliar faces come into the GCPA, see this beautiful building and experience all of the ensembles that are so talented," Scherer said.
While Scherer will be performing with the University Chorus during the Gala, she has also used the event as an opportunity to combine her interests in business relations and music. As part of their Management Fellows seminar this fall, Sherer and three other seniors made personal visits to area businesses asking for help with advertising the concert.
"That was a really good way to add that personal touch and get the word out to Greencastle locals about the Gala," Scherer said.
Prior to the concert Saturday night, several local restaurants will be providing dinner specials and ensuring that guests arrive at the concert prior to the 7 p.m. start time. These restaurants - which include 2 West at the Inn at DePauw, Almost Home, Chief's, Final Approach, The Fluttering Duck, Mama Nunz and Monical's Pizza - will also distribute vouchers for free tickets to the Holiday Gala. Details of the dinner specials can be found on the School of Music's website.
While the Saturday concert is expected to last over 90 minutes, the Sunday matinee will be approximately 60 minutes. Janice Bagwell, event coordinator for the School of Music, said even though the matinee includes fewer songs and is more geared towards children, students are still welcome to attend. McCoy also hinted that Santa might make an appearance during the Sunday performance.
Those interested in attending one of the performances are encouraged to pre-order their tickets at the Green Center Box Office or through brownpapertickets.com. While tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door for community members, there is also a "pay what you can" option. There is no admission fee for DePauw students, children or senior citizens.
Even though McCoy has received feedback regarding ticket prices, he said people should be willing to support artists. He's also found that people often tend to equate free with no value.
"Art isn't free, and this is an educational institution," McCoy said. "We're not teaching people wisely if we're teaching them that art is free. Art is very expensive - it's dear to us, and we should be willing to support it."
Regardless of ticket prices, McCoy hopes the Holiday Gala will help community members and students alike realize what talent is in the School of Music.
"We're hoping it just becomes a part of life at DePauw and the holidays in Greencastle."