West Michigan Symphony presents, "The Signs and Sounds of the Season"

By: Brittney Schering

The Sights and Sounds of the Season is an annual holiday concert to feature guest conductor Bohuslav Rattay. The West Michigan Symphony will celebrate the joyful warmth of the holidays when it presents The Sights and Sounds of the Season on Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 11. at 7:30 p.m.

Under the direction of guest conductor Bohuslav Rattay, the annual concert will feature sprightly pop favorites like, "Sleigh Ride" and "Jingle Bells," inspirational classics such as, "It came upon a Midnight Clear" and "O Tannenbaum," evocative selections from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," "The Nutcracker" and "Sleeping Beauty," and the traditional audience sing-along.

Also joining WMS will be the Muskegon Civic Theatre Youth Choir, Encore, led by vocal instructor Heather Marie Benson from Holland.

Additionally, five to seven year old ballerinas from Lakeshore Dance Muskegon will come down the aisles and perform during the perennial holiday favorite, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" from The Nutcracker. Lakeshore Dance is under the direction of Julie Powell.

Renowned by international audiences and critics alike for his fresh and inspired musical interpretations, Czech conductor Rattay has earned a reputation as one of the finest talents of his generation and is an enthusiastic ambassador for classical music. He is the artistic director for the Muncie Symphony Orchestra, recently began his first season with the Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra and is on the music faculty at Ball State University.

The West Michigan Symphony Low Brass Ensemble will provide pre-concert entertainment from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. in the lobby of the Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts.

All WMS concerts take place in the historic Frauenthal in downtown Muskegon. Individual WMS regular season single tickets are $10, $25, and $35 and may be purchased online at www.westmichigansymphony.org, in person at the West Michigan ticket office, Suite 409 (4th Floor) in the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts located at 425 W. Western Ave. in Muskegon, or by calling (231) 726-3231.