Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Chattanooga Music Club salutes season with free Holiday Spectacular
The Chattanooga Music Club is kicking off the holiday season with its fifth Holiday Spectacular on Tuesday evening, Nov. 15, in Memorial Auditorium.
“This concert began as a Hymnfest,” says concert organizer Evelyn Gibbs, “but we wanted to tie Christmas in with it and celebrate the entire holiday season.”
The free annual concert, which is the Music Club’s gift to the community, always includes an organ soloist to play the historic Austin pipe organ that CMC members restored, as well as talented singers from around the region. This year’s program leans heavily on North Georgia talent.
Jeffrey Warren Harbin, director of music ministry and organist at Dalton ( Ga.) United Methodist Church, will be the featured soloist on the Austin organ. The organist says this will be his first opportunity to play the historic instrument.
“It’s very unique. There aren’t too many organs like this in existence anymore,” he explains.
“In the early 1900s, just about every large city had a municipal auditorium with a concert organ. These instruments were designed to play orchestral transcripts. It has things a normal church organ would not possess — like cymbals, drums, xylophones. I’m going to try to use as many of the bells and whistles as pos- sible.”
Harbin says he has planned a program “for the people” that mingles secular and sacred holiday classics ranging from “Ave Maria” to “Silver Bells.”
I’m also doing a set specifically for children with ‘ The Chipmunk Song,’ ‘ Frosty the Snowman’ and ‘ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” he adds.
The Nashville Street Singers, a volunteer community chorus based out of First Baptist Church on Nashville Street in Ringgold, Ga. — hence the name — will make their Chattanooga debut.
Director Jim Bailiff says the group formed seven years ago to perform for a Christmas dinner theater at the church, where they have annually appeared since. The majority of the group’s 40 singers are church members, but there are a few community folks in the mix. They are accompanied by pianists Rose Abney and David Darnell.
“This is their first performance in Chattanoo- ga, and they are so excited,” says Bailiff. “We are going to do ‘Can’t Wait for Christmas,’ ‘ Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,’ Mel Torme’s ‘Christmas Song’ as well as several sacred numbers.”
Rounding out the program will be The Metropolitan Bells, a handbell choir directed by Gary Bynum, that is back by popular demand for a fourth appearance. The Metropolitan Bells will ring five numbers, including “All I Want for Christmas” and “We Three Kings.”
Even the audience will get in on the act before the night’s over. Emcee Greg Glover will lead the audience in a sing- along to “Deck the Halls,” “Jingle Bells,” and “White Christmas.”
The concert is free, but Gibbs reminds concertgoers that donations are welcome since they help pay for upcoming guest artists and help fund ongoing maintenance of the Austin pipe organ.