Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
If you're in need of a dose of holiday cheer, or on the hunt for some "one-size-fits-all, never-needs-dusting" gifts for friends, family, or colleagues, I have good news:
Eastern New Mexico University and Clovis Community College have some offerings on tap that will fit the bill, and the first one is tonight.
Eastern's annual holiday concert is at 7 p.m. today in the ballroom at the Campus Union Building, 1500 S. Ave. K, Portales. A cornucopia of ensembles from the school's music department will be performing in the highly successful "prism" setting they've used the past few years.
Instead of separating white light into colors, this prism allows the School of Music to showcase a rainbow of selections from its best ensembles - including toe-tapping steel drum music, angelic voices of the choral ensembles, and the rousing sound of the symphonic band - all sparkling with Christmas magic.
You simply can't go wrong with this event.
Penny-pinching Scrooges, take note: Tonight's concert is free, and the University Friends of Music will host a reception afterward in the foyer outside the ballroom.
If you have a few more dollars to spare and are looking for a worthy cause, tickets are still available for the ENMU choir fundraiser dinner set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the Fellowship Hall at First Baptist Church, 100 South Avenue C, Portales.
Eastern's choirs are traveling to England and France in the spring. Your $25 ticket buys you a gourmet meal and also helps defray costs to send these young singers across the Atlantic to perform at venues including St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
Call 575-562-2377 to reserve a place.
The three choral ensembles - University Singers, Chamber Singers, and Swanee Singers - will present a concert following the dinner on Saturday. Whether or not you partake in the meal, you're invited to First Baptist's sanctuary at 7 p.m. for a free benefit performance. "Free benefit" means there is no cost to attend, but you will be given an opportunity to throw a few supportive dollars into the hat, and director Jason Paulk noted, "Any and all donations are appreciated."
Paulk said Saturday's event "will be an opportunity to hear some music that you probably haven't heard this semester if you've been to another choir concert. We have Swanee Singers performing Beatles' tunes, Chamber is singing some of their tour repertoire, and University will reprise some of their standouts from earlier in the semester."
If you are holding out for pure unadulterated laughter, mark these dates onto your calendar - Dec. 14-17 - and catch at least one performance of "Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge," a production by the company class at Clovis Community College.
Director Christy Mendoza wrangles seasoned and highly talented local performers into taking this "class" on a regular basis at CCC, and their performances are reliably delightful.
This show, described as "a rollicking parody" of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," will have five performances on the CCC Town Hall stage, 417 Schepps Blvd., Clovis, with curtains opening at 7 p.m. nightly Dec. 14-16, and twice on Dec. 17 - a 2 p.m. matinee and a 7 p.m. closer.
Tickets ($10 general admission, $7 senior / military / student) are available online at http://www.clovisarts.org, by calling 575-769-4031, and at the door.
Invest in some or all of these holiday happenings, and come Christmas Day, all you will have to do is sit back and enjoy a second cup of coffee with your good memories.
Betty Williamson mentioned all of these in her letter to Santa. You may reach her at:
