‘Chimes of Christmas’ rings in holiday season at Auditorium

Not even Ebenezer Scrooge would pass up the melodies of the instrumental and singing groups from the Jacobs School of Music performing “Chimes of Christmas” at 7:30 p.m. at the IU Auditorium.

Tonight, the age-old tradition will hold up for another year, as audiences will hear classic carols for the holiday season.

The show is considered one of the most popular holiday celebration events in Bloomington, according to a Jacobs School of Music press release.

This program reminds the campus and the Bloomington community that the holiday season is here, said Doug Booher, director of the IU Auditorium.

The show will feature performances from the IU Wind Ensemble conducted by Stephen W. Pratt, the IU Vocal Jazz Ensemble conducted by Christopher Ludwa, the Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers conducted by Michael Schwartzkopf and the Trombone Choir conducted by Carl Lenthe.

The Trombone Choir, a group of 12 trombone players who are also music majors, will perform in the lobby before the actual performance.

During the show itself, the Singing Hoosiers, an ensemble that specializes in popular music and Broadway, will be performing along with the IU Wind Ensemble.

People are always there early, Lenthe said. He added that they are always really receptive of the music.

“We certainly look forward to get out of the school of music and out into the public,” Lenthe said.

Unlike other shows, local artists perform the show, so the auditorium creates the set, Booher said.

The ensembles are not the only groups preparing for the show – full rehearsals started on Monday afternoon. This show is very popular, Booher said. So far, about 2,000 tickets have been issued, but they expect a strong walk-up today.