Elisabeth von Trapp to Headline UD’s Christmas at Heritage Center

Oct 30, 2019

DUBUQUE, Iowa – University of Dubuque will present its seventh annual Christmas at Heritage Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, in John and Alice Butler Hall. Elisabeth von Trapp, granddaughter of the legendary Maria and Baron von Trapp, whose story inspired The Sound of Music, will headline this year’s celebration.

WHAT:            Christmas at Heritage Center

WHEN:            7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6

WHERE:          John and Alice Butler Hall, Heritage Center

TICKETS:        UD Students: $5 in advance, $9 day of concert; UD Faculty/Staff, Alumni, Parents of Current UD Students, Military, and Veterans: $10-$17 in advance, $15-$22 day of show; General Public: $14-$20 in advance, $19-$25 day of show; Non-UD Students and Children: $7 in advance, $12 day of show

This year’s celebration, titled “The Sound of Christmas,” will also feature the talents of the UD Concert Choir, UD Chamber Singers, and UD Women’s Choir, all directed by Kristen Eby, assistant professor of music, as well as the UD Chamber Winds, directed by Cassandra Bechard, assistant professor of music. Elisabeth von Trapp will not only be the evening’s narrator, but she will also perform a number of pieces both with and without students.

Christmas at Heritage Center will follow a Christmas narrative authored and assembled by the Rev. Dr. Timothy Slemmons, University of Dubuque Theological Seminary associate professor of homiletics and worship. The narrative correlates with choral texts and instrumental pieces chosen to tell the story of Christ’s birth in a seamless performance.

Selections will include new arrangements of holiday favorites such as “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night,” and “Angels We Have Heard On High.” In addition, Elisabeth von Trapp will perform a couple Sound of Music favorites to open and close the concert.

A post-show reception with complimentary refreshments and holiday favorites played by the UD Jazz Ensemble, directed by Nolan Hauta, assistant professor of music, will follow the performance.

Tickets for Christmas at Heritage Center can be purchased from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Farber Box Office, Heritage Center, University of Dubuque, 2255 Bennett Street; by phone at 563.585.SHOW; or online at www.dbq.edu/heritagecenter.

Christmas at Heritage Center will be broadcast on KDTH (AM 1370) at 9 p.m. Christmas Eve and 1 p.m. Christmas Day.

In the case of inclement weather, the concert snow date is 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7.