Sounds of the season, Ephrata band and choir perform

EPHRATA— Families – and music – filled the Ephrata Middle School gymnasium twice last week for holiday concerts by local students, with 170 band members performing Monday, Dec. 15 and 180 choir singers taking the stage on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Directed by Jacob Pearce, the Parkway Band opened Monday's concert with "Jolly Old St. Nicholas," "Kwanzaa Celebration," "Good King Wenceslas," "The Dreidel Song" and "Jingle Bells."

The EMS 7th grade band performed "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," followed by the combined middle school band playing "Attack of the Cyclops" and "Antagonist." The 8th grade band brought holiday cheer with "Feliz Navidad" and "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas."

The Ephrata High School Symphonic Band closed the evening with "Jingle Bell Rock," "Through the Storm" featuring a flute solo by Sophia Warbiany, "Blue Sky Horizon" and "Sleigh Ride."

Ephrata Middle and High School choirs performed their winter concert under the direction of Tim O'Donnell, with accompanists Gus O'Donnell and Cecelia Couture.

Six ensembles performed:

Ephrata Middle School Choir — "Heaven Everywhere" (Ben Glover/Francesca Battistelli, arr. Andy Beck), "Hodie" (Terre McPheeters)

EHS Treble Clef Choir — "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" (Antonio Vivaldi), "Hanerot Halalu" (Blanche Chass)

EHS Concert Choir — "Wayfaring Stranger" (Larry Shackley), "Troika" (Dave & Jean Perry)

EHS Bass Clef Choir — "El Noi de la Mare" (arr. Reginald Wright), "E Ala E" (Pualani Kanaka'ole), "Kang Hele" (Ruth Morris Gray)

EHS Harmonia — "Hodie Christus Natus Est" (Francis Poulenc), "I Want to Stare at My Phone with You" (Nathan Howe)

EHS Chamber Choir — "O Magnum Mysterium" (Morten Lauridsen), "Bogoroditse Djevo" (Arvo Pärt)

The program closed with a performance of Handel's "Hallelujah," with O'Donnell inviting former students in the audience to come on stage and join in the joyous finale.