This year, the music and theater departments will collaborate in the annual Winter Jubilee, continuing their tradition of a collective performing arts concert. Unlike last year, the concert will only take place on one day next month; however, there will be two performance times.

“It is a fun concert because it combines all of the top music levels of the band, orchestra, and choir and it appeals to families and people who want to see what the musical program at Edina is capable of,” senior trombonist Julia Kloiber said.

The concert will feature group pieces between the band, choir, and orchestra, in addition to solo pieces from each ensemble. The Edina High School Concert Band will be playing “Christmas on Broadway”—a Jubilee tradition—with both the EHS Concert Orchestra and the Concert Choir, and “O Magnum Mysterium” with just the EHS Concert Choir. The Concert Choir will be singing “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “O Lux Beatissima.”

The three ensembles have been practicing their music separately for a while and had their first joint rehearsal on Thursday, Nov. 15th. “I feel like the band is pretty prepared, but we still have to work out combining with the choir and orchestra, but I think that the concert will all come together in the end,” Kloiber said.

Typically, the Concert Band is only able to rehearse with the Concert Orchestra once a week, and the Concert Choir is rarely able to rehearse with either group. “I feel like we could be more prepared…but we are doing as much as we can in order to prepare,” senior Cellist Kendrew Chen said.

In addition to being able to work with other musical groups, each ensemble must also master a challenging repertoire for the concert. “I think the most difficult thing is memorizing the music and maximizing limited rehearsal time, because there are many songs we need to master and also the dynamics within them,” senior choir member KJ Singh said.

Despite the fact that many participants feel underprepared, members of the Concert Choir, Band, and Orchestra are excited to be playing in a big collaborative production of this sort. “I’m excited about Winter Jubilee. This is my first year in Concert Choir, but I’ve heard a lot about it from friends and the Christmas songs are fun to sing….it is one of the most popular concerts hosting the band, choir, and orchestra,” Singh said.

The Jubilee will also consist of theatrical performances that will take place between the musical pieces. Members of the theater department will be acting out scenes from“Frosty the Snowman” and “Bear Snores On.”

“I am very excited…we are rehearsing during lunch so it is fun and I get to have a break during the day. The performance will be very different and it will be really cool,” senior Carmen Wesselman said.  Wesselman will read the part of Sally in “Frosty the Snowman.”

The collaboration between the three conductors—band director Paul Kile, orchestra director Nick Gaudette, and choir director Christopher Piela—will be taking place on Saturday, Dec. 15 in the Fick Auditorium from 3 PM to 5 PM and from 7 PM to 9 PM.