(It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas music) - [Announcer] "Together Merrily, the University of Tampa Holiday Special" was made possible by Charlene and Mardy Gordon, Geneva Damron, ("It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas") Lee and Benson Riseman, ("It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas") and the University of Tampa College of Arts and Letters.

("It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas") - Welcome to the Ferman Center for the Arts on the gorgeous University of Tampa campus.

I'm David Gudelunas, Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, and I'm so pleased to present this holiday special that showcases our talented faculty and students in our theater, dance, and music programs here at the University of Tampa.

Filmed inside venues across campus, you'll see performances inside the iconic Plant Hall, the Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values, the Charlene A. Gordon Theater here in the Ferman Center, and even the virtual production studio.

All of the content was filmed, directed, produced and edited by our wonderful faculty and students in the Communication and Film, Animation and New Media programs.

While the graphic design students and faculty lent their talents to the visual identity of the program.

I hope you enjoy this very special production that really did bring so many people from campus together merrily.

Happy holidays from everyone in the College of Arts and Letters and at the University of Tampa.

("It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas") - [Producer] Take two.

- There was a Latin name sort of affixed to bronze, at least in talk of bells, they called bronze a singing metal.

And that's why bronze is used for bells is because when it's struck when it's in different shapes, it rings in a certain way that just holds pitch so beautifully.

So the Ars Sonora is a truly one of a kind instrument, musical structure, bell tower.

It is very similar to its sort of sister instrument, the carillon.

There are three other Ars Sonora but they're all over in France.

But once this one was built, the Susan and John Sykes Ars Sonora, this one stands about 30 meters tall so three times as tall as the first Ars Sonora and has about 20 more bells.

And the focus really was, they wanted to celebrate the beauty of the bells.

So much of the times with carillons and other bell towers, the bells are hidden hundreds of feet up into the air in these towers.

But if you look at the other Ars Sonora, the other three that are in France, they are front and center, they are the focus of the structure and everything is sort of centered around that.

And the interesting thing is the...

There's this sweet spot in terms of, the further away you go from the instrument, the sweeter it actually sounds.

It still sounds beautiful up close but the sound just carries so well.

(Ars Sonora bells chiming) (Ars Sonora bells chiming continues) (Ars Sonora bells chiming continues) (Ars Sonora bells chiming continues) (Ars Sonora bells chiming continues) (Ars Sonora bells chiming continues) - Carol of the Bells is a song that everyone expects to hear at a holiday concert.

And it's a song that I've been performing since I was in elementary school, in our elementary school choir.

And that was very challenging, getting to learn how to sing the ding-dongs and imitating a bell, which seems silly in the moment but if done correctly it can sound very, very impressive.

A lot of people think that the melody is the most important line but I personally think that the most important part of Carol of the Bells is the supporting sections, the altos, the tenors, the basses, everybody singing the different ding-dongs and the bells are the entire message in the song.

So having a strong supporting ensemble to imitate those bells really, really brings the whole piece together.

- It sounds so good.

It's, I think, really perfect for this instrument.

So to be playing something called Carol of the Bells on an instrument made out of a metal called the singing metal, and then also those being bells, and bells also being the title, it's just...

I don't see how it could possibly be better.

("Carol of the Bells") ♪ Hark hear the bells ♪ ♪ Sweet silver bells ♪ ♪ All seem to say ♪ ♪ Throw cares away ♪ ♪ Christmas is here ♪ ♪ Bringing good cheer ♪ ♪ To young and old ♪ ♪ Meek and the bold ♪ ♪ Ding-dong, ding-dong ♪ ♪ That is their song ♪ ♪ With joyful ring ♪ ♪ All caroling ♪ ♪ One seems to hear, words of the cheer ♪ ♪ From everywhere ♪ ♪ Filling the air ♪ ♪ Oh, how they pound ♪ ♪ Raising the sound ♪ ♪ Or here and there ♪ ♪ Telling their tale ♪ ♪ Gaily they ring while people sing ♪ ♪ Songs of the cheer ♪ ♪ Christmas is here ♪ ♪ Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas ♪ ♪ Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas ♪ ♪ On, on they send ♪ ♪ On without end ♪ ♪ Their joyful tone to every home ♪ ♪ Hark hear the bells ♪ ♪ Sweet silver bells ♪ ♪ All seem to say ♪ ♪ Throw cares away ♪ ♪ Christmas is here, bringing good cheer ♪ ♪ To young and old ♪ ♪ Meek and the bold ♪ ♪ Ding-dong-ding-dong that is their song ♪ ♪ With joyful ring ♪ ♪ All caroling ♪ ♪ One seems to hear, words of the cheer ♪ ♪ From everywhere, filling the air ♪ ♪ Oh, how they pound, raising the sound ♪ ♪ Or here and there, telling their tale ♪ ♪ Gaily they ring, while people sing ♪ ♪ Songs of the cheer, Christmas is here ♪ ♪ Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas ♪ ♪ Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas ♪ ♪ On on they send ♪ ♪ On without end ♪ ♪ Their joyful tone ♪ ♪ To every home ♪ ♪ On on they send ♪ ♪ On without end ♪ ♪ Their joyful tone ♪ ♪ To every home ♪ ♪ Ding-dong, ding-dong ♪ ("The Twelve Days of Christmas") - Lots of caroling around the house with family members.

As a musical student, family members usually ask me to sing something around the holiday times but it's fun because it's something that no matter what your expertise level or level of study is, everyone knows Christmas carols and everyone enjoys singing them together.

So I have uncles and aunts who come in from near and far, who aren't necessarily musically inclined or they don't think so, I think they're very talented, but they finally open up and are comfortable singing with the family as soon as Christmas time rolls around.

White Christmas, of course, holds a special place in my family's heart.

That's actually how we kick off the Christmas season, we all watch "White Christmas" as a family and then sing the song and then that's that.

Oh Holy Night is just one of those iconic Christmas tunes that most people are familiar with.

I think the earliest memory I probably have of hearing O Holy Night was when I was probably about six or seven years old, there was a production of a human Christmas tree, singing Christmas tree in Tallahassee where I grew up.

And the star on the Christmas tree was this beautiful soprano voice who sang Oh Holy Night as a solo and it was just absolutely glorious to listen to.

And I still remember that very distinctly, even to this day, - What I found the most personal connection to, was the theme of reflection.

It's a very majestic but powerful piece.

And the holidays gives you time to be with your family and do all the fun things that everyone talks about, but it also gives you time to reflect upon all the things that you're doing.

You're giving gifts, you're sharing, you're helping.

Why am I doing those things?

What do I have that other people do not have?

And why is it important that I share that with other people?

- It's just an amazing piece of music to sing.

Individually, each of the parts is all...

They're all very unique and difficult.

It's a much more challenging song than I think most people recognize and realize as far as performance goes.

But the fact that singing it acapella in a quartet, you really have to rely on your quartet mates and it's really just triumphant.

It's the coolest feeling in the world when finally everything comes together, all of our voices combine to make this beautiful piece of music that so many people recognize and cherish.

♪ O Holy night ♪ ♪ The stars are brightly shining ♪ ♪ It is the night of the dear Savior's birth ♪ ♪ Long lay the world ♪ ♪ In sin and error pining ♪ ♪ 'Til He appeared ♪ ♪ And the soul felt its worth ♪ ♪ A thrill of hope ♪ ♪ The weary world rejoices ♪ ♪ For yonder breaks ♪ ♪ A new and glorious morn' ♪ ♪ Fall on your knees ♪ ♪ O hear the angel voices ♪ ♪ O night divine ♪ ♪ O night when Christ was born ♪ ♪ O night divine ♪ ♪ O holy night ♪ ♪ O night divine ♪ ♪ Truly He taught us to love one another ♪ ♪ His law is love and His gospel is peace ♪ ♪ Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother ♪ ♪ And in His name all oppression shall cease ♪ ♪ Sweet hymns of joy ♪ ♪ In grateful chorus raise we ♪ ♪ Let all within us praise His holy name ♪ ♪ Christ is the Lord ♪ ♪ O praise His name forever ♪ ♪ His power and glory ♪ ♪ Evermore proclaim ♪ ♪ His power and glory ♪ ♪ Evermore proclaim ♪ (bells chiming) - There Will Be Rest is a piece by Frank Ticheli.

It's such a...

It's such a beautiful piece, I think it is extremely breathtaking.

The piece itself is really so much about understanding the joy of peace and what it means to have a peaceful mindset, and having those beautiful memories of something that you have and turning them into something that is memorable.

- We found it difficult to listen to one another, especially with our contrasting melodies occurring throughout the piece.

And eventually when we did figure out the deeper meaning of the piece, we found a resolution at the end of the song.

And once we figured out how to blend with one another, the number in its entirety became more meaningful.

- Towards the end of the piece, we sing the lyrics, "We shall find the crystal of peace."

I think that it was extremely important.

We've sung through most of the music and we got to this part that's so tender and so sweet, to change our singing from singing to a performance, we really had to think about what my crystal of peace is, what our crystal of peace's are, and each person's is different.

Yet doing something so different is exactly what brought us together to be able to create such beautiful sound.

- And personally, every time that we sing that line, I get a little...

I get a little emotional.

♪ There will be rest ♪ ♪ There will be rest ♪ ♪ And sure stars shining ♪ ♪ There will be rest ♪ ♪ There will be rest ♪ ♪ And sure stars shining ♪ ♪ Over the roof-tops ♪ ♪ Crowned with snow ♪ ♪ A reign of rest ♪ ♪ Serene forgetting ♪ ♪ The music ♪ ♪ The music of stillness ♪ ♪ Holy and low ♪ ♪ There will be rest ♪ ♪ There will be rest ♪ ♪ And sure stars shining ♪ ♪ Over the roof-tops ♪ ♪ Crowned with snow ♪ ♪ A reign of rest ♪ ♪ Serene forgetting ♪ ♪ The music ♪ ♪ The music of stillness ♪ ♪ The music of stillness, stillness, stillness ♪ ♪ Holy and low ♪ ♪ And low ♪ ♪ A reign of rest ♪ ♪ Serene forgetting ♪ ♪ The music of stillness holy and low ♪ ♪ Holy and low ♪ ♪ I will make this world of my devising ♪ ♪ I will make this world of my devising ♪ ♪ I will make this world of my devising ♪ ♪ I will make this world of my devising ♪ ♪ I will make this world out of a dream ♪ ♪ Out of a dream ♪ ♪ Out of a dream ♪ ♪ Out of a dream ♪ ♪ Out of a dream, dream, dream, dream ♪ ♪ In my lonely mind ♪ ♪ I shall find the crystal of peace ♪ ♪ I shall find the crystal of peace ♪ ♪ I shall find the crystal of peace ♪ ♪ Above me ♪ ♪ Above me ♪ ♪ Above me ♪ ♪ Above me ♪ ♪ Stars, stars I shall find ♪ ♪ Stars I shall find I shall find ♪ ♪ We shall find ♪ ♪ The crystal of peace ♪ ♪ Stars I shall find ♪ (bells chiming) - A personal memory around the holidays, was I was lucky enough in December to go to New York with my family, which I love the city around the holidays, I've always wanted to go and see the Rockettes.

So we got there, we got to see all of the lights, and hear all the Christmas music playing in the streets.

We got to go to Radio City Music Hall and see the "Christmas Spectacular" and that just brought me and my family so much joy.

My mom and dad have always wanted to take me to this and we finally got to this year, and that was just the cherry on top of the holiday season.

- For me, something that gets me the most excited about the holiday spirit is my family, being able to see them during the holiday season.

And so it's always the most exciting to be able to go home and have the buildup of everyone coming together and seeing each other again, and getting to spend a couple days together, celebrating Christmas.

We make cookies and do puzzles, and it builds up when we all come together.

My whole entire family Christmas Eve, we all exchange gifts, just get to share the gift of Christmas together.

- I personally connected to Sleigh Bells because I feel a lot of joy around the holidays, I'm sure we all do, and being able to be around the people you love most is what's most important around that time of year.

This piece was choreographed by our professor, Susannah LeMarquand, and I love working with her.

The way she incorporates her dancers into the creative process by letting us have a say, and asking us which pieces we want to be repeated in the dance was awesome.

Her choreography really encompassed Christmas cheer into this and she layered us all entering one at a time to make it feel like we're joining in, in friendship and then by the end we're united dancing all together.

I've never danced with a video wall behind me before and to see it...

There was actually people in the video moving.

So every time you turned around you kind of saw something different.

And it was great to work with something that was live and moving like we were live and moving, and just seeing Tampa snowing was really incredible to us Floridians, who will never see Tampa snow, ever, and to dance in front of it was awesome.

("Sleigh Ride") ("Sleigh Ride" continues) ("Sleigh Ride" continues) ("Sleigh Ride" continues) ("Sleigh Ride" continues) ("Sleigh Ride" continues) ("Sleigh Ride" continues) ("Sleigh Ride" continues) ("Sleigh Ride" continues) ("Sleigh Ride" continues) ("Sleigh Ride" continues) ("The Twelve Days of Christmas") (somber classical music) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) (somber classical music continues) - Behind the scenes interview, take two, mark.

(film clapper snaps) On the night before Christmas, my family would always go to church and then we would go back to my grandparents' house and we would open up presents there because apparently Santa came there early.

And then while we were opening presents, we would always check the Santa Tracker app to see where Santa was in the world.

And when we had to go home in order to go to sleep so that Santa could come and give us presents.

For the holiday season, my family and I hang up lights all over our house, on the roof and on the ground and everything, and we synchronize that.

We synchronize those lights to music to different holiday songs and they play every single day.

And all the cars wait out front, waiting to watch the show and then they move on.

And we're that one annoying Christmas light house in the neighborhood, that backs up the traffic and...

But it brings a lot of holiday joy and spirit to the community so that's why we do it.

And that's kind of where I learned about audio visual stuff.

(production crew indistinctly chatting) - [Crew Member] It was almost then when- - Let me know when... - [Crew Member] Yeah.

- Okay.

- So... ♪ Oh holy night ♪ ♪ The stars are brightly shining ♪ ♪ It is the night ♪ ♪ Of our dear savior's birth ♪ - Good, that was really good.

(production crew indistinctly chatting) - It's always nice to be able to make an impact on what people feel and I think that this film is gonna hopefully stir some emotions even if it's just the holiday spirit.

(brass section practicing) - Too big or it's too small for this one, too big for this one.

So if you have a different screw to put in here... - Yeah that would work.

- Then it would work.

It would work so well.

(crew indistinctly chatting) (brass classical music) (brass classical music continues) (brass classical music continues) - Part four, Deck the Halls take two, mark.

(brass classical music continues) (jazz holiday music) ("Deck The Halls") ("Deck The Halls" continues) ("Deck The Halls" continues) ("Deck The Halls" continues) (holiday jazz medley music) (holiday jazz medley music continues) (holiday jazz medley music continues) (holiday jazz medley music continues) (holiday jazz medley music continues) - The holiday piece that I choreographed was What Sweeter Music.

I had a connection to the music because it was very emotional, and strong and powerful and it just really reminded me of how strong and emotional the Christmas spirit can be, when it comes to family and friends, and being there for everyone during the holiday season.

When choreographing, I thought a lot about being vulnerable within this space, but also stretching to my fullest potential and finding ways to collaborate with the space that I was in.

I was working in the virtual production studio, it was a great experience because I've never danced in a space like that before.

Working and collaborating with the screen in the background was very interesting because I felt like it could guide my movements and the feelings that I had within it.

(peaceful music) ♪ What sweeter music can we bring ♪ ♪ Than a carol for to sing ♪ ♪ The birth of this our Heavenly King ♪ ♪ Awake the voice, awake the string ♪ ♪ Dark and dull night, fly hence away ♪ ♪ And give the honor to this day ♪ ♪ That sees December turned to May ♪ ♪ That sees December turned to May ♪ ♪ Why does the chilling winter's mourn ♪ ♪ Smile like a field beset with corn ♪ ♪ Or smell like a meadow newly-shorn ♪ ♪ Thus on the sudden come and see ♪ ♪ The cause why things thus fragrant be ♪ ♪ It is He is born, whose quickening birth ♪ ♪ Gives life and luster, public mirth ♪ ♪ To Heaven and the under-Earth ♪ (calming music) ♪ What sweeter music can we bring ♪ ♪ Than a carol for to sing ♪ ♪ The birth of this our Heavenly King ♪ ♪ Of this our Heavenly King ♪ (thunder cracks) (peaceful music) (bells chiming) - So the piece itself is called Mozart's String Quartet in E-Flat Major.

It's one of his 11th quartet pieces that he's ever written, and Mozart died pretty young.

There's a lot of communication between the viola or the second violin, or the first violin and the cellist.

I understood that this piece is really just about understanding the joy of making music because it helps you understand what it means to communicate with the person next to you, what it means to congregate to make something so special.

And it's really bonded us as a quartet and it's really bonded us with our professors too.

The holidays are so much more about togetherness and just being with the people that you love, 'cause who knows when you see those people again.

And I think that piece has really helped us understand that and has honestly just made me appreciate the people around me more, especially during the holidays, and just understanding what it means to just be in the same vicinity with the people that you love, and appreciate, and respect.

And so I think this piece has really helped me and I think it has helped pretty much the whole quartet understand that.

I wanna say it's really about more of togetherness really because I think the holidays are really just about being together and enjoying the joys of Christmas.

And Christmas and New Year's was just such a beautiful time and it made me appreciate my family more, my cousins, and my mom, and my grandparents because I mean, they're kind of the backbone of everything.

The holidays are so much more about togetherness and just being with the people that you love.

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