On Saturday Dec. 9, the 14 girls of Vocal Point will put on their Winter Extravaganza show on the River Level of the Interfaith Chapel. This annual show, co-sponsored this year with the Panhellenic Association, is one of the group’s more informal concerts for friends and family, featuring traditional holiday songs as well as pieces from Vocal Point’s fall show.
“I’m excited to get everyone in the holiday spirit,” music director and senior Martha Guenther said. “I personally love the holidays. It’s going to be a great afternoon for everyone involved.”
The group’s repertoire encompasses classics such as “Carol of the Bells,” “Rocking around the Christmas Tree” and “Christians and the Pagans.” Two new holiday arrangements, including “All I Want for Christmas is You,” will be debuted and several new songs from this semester will be preformed as well. Rochester’s other a capella groups – the YellowJackets, the Midnight Ramblers and After Hours – will also join in for caroling.
In previous years the concert was held in the Welles-Brown room of Rush Rhees Library and advertised as a more casual study break. After repeatedly filling the room to capacity, Vocal Point decided to expand the event, selecting a larger venue for this year. Though they sought to continue the tradition of a free concert, the group members felt they could use the show’s popularity for a greater cause. True to the holiday spirit, they wanted to find a way to use it to give back to the Rochester community.
After contacting several community service organizations on campus, a collaboration with the Panhellenic Association began to facilitate a food drive.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever attempted a food drive, and we wanted to combine with a group with more experience,” publicity manager and junior Kristy Doot said. “It’s an opportunity to give back to a city that constantly asks us to perform.”
The food collected will be donated to Foodlink, a regional organization that distributes donations to local soup kitchens, shelters and emergency food pantries, as well as group homes, senior centers and day cares in the Greater Rochester area. Panhell has worked with the organization in past events and found the group reliable and the experience enjoyable.
“We’re hoping everyone who goes to the show will bring things,” Doot said. “We don’t exactly know what to expect, but we wanted to try to help out.”
The free concert begins at 3 p.m. and lasts approximately an hour and a half. Cider and cookies and other refreshments will be served amidst holiday-themed decorations.
“I’m excited to sing and have fun and entertain people,” said freshman member Polly Flinch, whose family is coming in from North Carolina to see the show.
Vocal Point’s new CD, “Game Face, ” recorded last spring, will be available for purchase at the event. The group will be performing one of its tracks, “River,” as well as five other brand new songs from their fall show.
“It’s a really beautiful concert,” Doot said. “The music is fun and the holidays put everyone in a good mood.”
Hass is a member of the class of 2010.
