The Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra brings holiday cheer to the River Campus

The Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra put on a Christmas concert on Dec. 3 at Bedell Performance Hall located on the River Campus.

The show entitled “In Terra Pax" had the first half of the concert consisting of the symphony orchestra performing music from “The Nutcracker” ballet and pieces of music from Mozart.

The second half once again featured music from the orchestra but was also accompanied by the performance of the Southeast Missouri State University Choir and Choral Union. The choir sang traditional Christmas songs such as We Wish You a Merry Christmas and White Christmas.

During the second half performance of Sleigh Ride, the performers were joined on stage by a very special guest. Santa Claus, Symphony Board Member Nicholas Kenney in disguise, conducted the song, finding time in his busy schedule to fly all the way to SEMO.

“I had to make time for this,” Kenney said. “When SEMO calls, we come. We come running.”

Freshman Theater Major Emily Draper said that Santa joining the show was the highlight of the evening.

“My favorite part of the production was when Santa came out,” Draper said. “I also really liked the Hanukkah fantasy. I liked that we did a song that wasn’t just Christian based and we delved into other cultures with that.”

As the night concluded, the members of the orchestra and choir could celebrate all of their hard work and dedication.

Freshman Multimedia Journalism Major Cora O’Donnell appreciated how the performance came together.

“I loved being able to hear the orchestra join in with us,” O’Donnell said. “We have practiced on our own and getting to join in with them and hearing the whole thing come together was so exciting.”

“In Terra Pax” marks the second concert of the season. Two more performances will wrap up the 24th season of the orchestra, with music by John Williams and Andrew Lloyd Webber on March 4 and Chichester Psalms on April 29.