UKIAH, Calif. — The Ukiah Symphony, in collaboration with the Mendocino College Choir and guest soloists, presents its Holiday Celebration Concert on Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Center Theater on the Mendocino College Campus in Ukiah.

The program includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Sextet in E-flat Major” featuring soloists John Lounsbery and Randy Masselink, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s work “Hiob” (Job) featuring vocal soloists, and G.F. Handel’s (arranged by W. A. Mozart) piece “Hallelujah!” from “Messiah.”

Concert goers will also hear Margaret Bonds’ “The Ballad of the Brown King: A Christmas Cantata” with the Mendocino College Choir and vocal soloists Aléxa Anderson, Melinda Martinez Becker, Sidney Ragland and Bradley Kynard.

Margaret Bonds was one of the first African-American female composers to gain recognition in the United States and “The Ballad of the Brown King” is one of many collaborative projects she completed with Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes.

Phillip Lenberg is conductor of the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra and Janice Hawthorne Timm is Director for the Mendocino College Choirs.

An hour before each concert, visitors can attend a pre-concert talk. Following Saturday’s evening program, attendees can sip Gowan’s cider and enjoy treats at an after hours reception.

Visit https://www.ukiahsymphony.org to purchase tickets and find more information.

The Ukiah Symphony Orchestra is a community-based orchestra located in the city of Ukiah, composed of musicians from Ukiah and the surrounding communities.

Founded in 1979, they have been providing continuous, regular seasons of orchestra music for Ukiah and the surrounding communities for more than 40 years.