UAB Briefs: Great music at the Alys, big research bucks, new arts classes

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Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs, in which we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.

Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email Iron City Ink at sydney@starnespublishing.com and jchambers@starnespublishing.com.

Christmas at the Alys

The UAB Department of Music will celebrate the holidays by presenting its annual “Christmas at the Alys” choral performance at the Jemison Concert Hall at the Alys Stephens Center on Mon., Dec. 5, at 7 p.m.

The concert is led by the UAB Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, with conductor Brian Kittredge, and the UAB Trumpet Ensemble, led by conductor James Zingara, according to a UAB news release

But what makes the annual concert special is that the UAB choir and trumpet players are joined by hundreds of singers from other Birmingham-area choirs.

Taking part this year will be the Steel City Men’s Chorus, the John Carroll Catholic Singers and Mixed Ensemble, the Thompson High School Madrigals and choirs from the high schools in Calera, Hueytown, Vestavia Hills, Gardendale and Helena.

“There are approximately 500 singers, conductors, staff and participants in the event,” Kittredge told Iron City Ink. “This does not include the hundreds of audience members. It is thrilling to hear everyone sing the opening and closing songs together.”

The concert’s repertoire is chosen by the choral directors and is mostly holiday-themed, according to Kittredge – traditional carols and popular holiday songs, for example.

The choirs also typically perform some spirituals and traditional choral literature, Kittredge said. And there are some annual favorites, according to the conductor.

“There is a tradition of opening the program with everyone singing ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ and closing with ‘Joy to the World,’ Kittredge said. “This is sung by all participating choirs and audience, accompanied by the UAB Trumpet ensemble and piano. The combined choirs also sing ‘Carol of the Bells.’"

The “Christmas at the Alys” celebration began in 2001, according to the new release, but Kittredge said that he successfully revamped the program after joining the music department in 2010.

“I decided to enhance the program by opening it up to a variety of choral ensembles in the community,” he said. “In the past three years, seating has sold out.”

A lot of work goes into putting on such a large event, according to Kittredge.

“Each participating choir rehearses separately for weeks on their own,” he said. “The collective pieces are rehearsed as a whole one hour before the performance.

As director, Kittredge said he is responsible for collecting the repertoire choices from each group, coordinating the final program and organizing such production details as staging and lighting.

But all the work is worth it when the hundreds of voices come together at the theatre, according to Kittredge.

“There is such a great sense of encouragement and community when you can perform for one another,” he said. “It is not often that we are able to perform together, so when the rare opportunity presents itself, we always look forward to it.”

Some of the other choir directors agree with Kittredge.

“It is so inspiring to be able to sing in such an amazing facility,” John Carroll conductor Maria Wilson said in the release. “It is the highlight of our year.”

“I love seeing my students’ faces when they realize they are going to perform in such a wonderful facility, with well-trained musicians from all over the state,” said Calera High School conductor Alice LaGrone.

Tickets are $8 for general admission and $5 for students. To order, call 975-2787 or go to alysstephens.org.

For more information, call 934-7376 or go to uab.edu/cas/music.

More great music at the Alys

Singer Alicia Olatuja has performed jazz, gospel, opera and musical theatre, and now Birmingham audiences can check her out in person when she appears with The UAB Gospel Choir at the Alys Stephens Center’s Jemison Concert Hall on Sun., Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.

Olatuja and her band will open the concert, and then she and the choir will take the stage together to perform holiday songs.

After earning a master’s degree in classical voice and opera from the Manhattan School of Music, Olatuja has recorded CDs, had No. 1 songs on Amazon.com and XM Satellite radio, performed for 5 million viewers on NBC-TV’s “Today” show and worked with such stars as Chaka Khan, BeBe Winans and Christian McBride.

The UAB Gospel Choir performs under the direction of Kevin P. Turner, who founded the group in 1995. They have performed traditional and contemporary American gospel on numerous national and international tours.

Tickets are $18. To order, call 975-2787 or go to alysstephens.org.

Drawing in the research dollars

UAB’s economic importance to the Birmingham area is underscored once again by new data regarding the university’s research funding.

UAB ranked No. 18 nationally among public universities and No. 34 overall in federally-financed research in 2015, with more than $328.5 million in expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation.

The same year, the school secured more federal research funding than all other public universities in Alabama combined, accounting for roughly 63 percent of such funding, according to a UAB news release.

UAB’s total research expenditures exceeded $516 million in 2015, ranking the institution No. 25 among public universities and No. 41 overall nationally, the release states.

Get out and create something!

UAB’s ArtPlay, part of the Alys Stephens Center, offers cool arts classes for people of all ages – from pre-K kids to adults.

ArtPlay – located at 1006 19th St. South – offers classes and workshops in such diverse subjects as dance, movement, visual art, calligraphy, improvisational comedy and sound recording techniques.

And a whole new set of classes are now on offer for the winter/spring session. Registration is open now, with class fees beginning at $75.

For details, call 975-4769 or go to alysstephens.org/classes.