Local schools to begin holiday concert series

Portales Municipal Schools begins its annual series of holiday concerts this week with a twist.

According to Portales High School choir director and district fine arts coordinator Franklin Smith, this year’s concerts will include a promotion to provide prepaid phone cards for U.S. troops overseas.

Smith said he became aware of how much troops enjoyed getting phone cards through news stories and when Portales Junior High choir director Suzanne Cottrell’s husband was sent overseas recently.

Smith said people attending the free concerts are encouraged to purchase phone cards and donate them at the door or simply make a donation at the door for the purchase of cards.

Smith says they’ll send the cards to the Special Ops base where Cottrell’s husband is stationed in time for use during the holidays.

The first of the four concerts is at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the PHS Performing Arts Center. The PJHS concert and advanced band along with the concert and honor choirs will perform a variety of music selected for the holiday season.

Second-graders from James Elementary School, who will perform in three performances at the PAC on Thursday. Their winter musical is entitled Seussical Junior.

PHS band and concert students will perform at 2 p.m. Dec. 9 and the Lindsey Eagle Band and the concert and honor choirs presents its winter concert at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13. Both performances are at the PAC.

At a glance:

PJHS Concert

7 p.m. Tuesday

PHS PAC

James Winter Musical

6 p.m. Thursday (Pod I, Encinias, Combs, Johns, Ruvalcaba)

6:45 p.m. Thursday (Pod II, Hunton, Ortega, Vardeman, Walker)

7:30 p.m. Thursday (Pod III, Nuckols, Vinson, Powers, McKinney)

PHS PAC

PHS Concert

2 p.m. Dec. 9

PHS PAC

Lindsey Concert

6:30 p.m. Dec. 13

PHS PAC