Join the Austin Chamber Music Center for a live music performance featuring all of your favorite tunes from the holiday classic, and more! Bring your family to this Austin tradition and get in the holiday spirit!
An exclusive pre-sale is available in July to ACMC newsletter subscribers. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the best seats in the house with this exclusive offer!
Program
Order to be announced from the stage
Christmas is Coming | Vince Guaraldi (1928–1976)
What Child is This? | Traditional/Vince Guaraldi
O Tannenbaum | Traditional/Vince Guaraldi
The Great Pumpkin Waltz | Vince Guaraldi
Heartburn Waltz | Vince Guaraldi
Thanksgiving Theme | Vince Guaraldi
My Little Drum | Traditional/Vince Guaraldi
Christmas Time is Here | Vince Guaraldi
Over the Rainbow | Harold Arlen (1905–1986) arr. Keith Jarrett
INTERMISSION
Linus and Lucy | Vince Guaraldi
Charlie Brown Theme | Vince Guaraldi
Peppermint Patty | Vince Guaraldi
Frieda (with the Naturally Curly Hair) | Vince Guaraldi
Finale from the Moonlight Sonata | Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Skating | Vince Guaraldi
Happiness Theme | Vince Guaraldi
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
The Christmas Song | Mel Torme/Vince Guaraldi
Michelle Schumann, piano
Utah Hamrick, bass
David Sierra, drums
Avalyn James, vocals
Ephraim Owens, trumpet
Matt Jones & Laura Malloy, dancers
Michelle Schumann
Hailed for her “sensitive, flexible, and tempestuous dexterity” (Fanfare Magazine), pianist Michelle Schumann has built a reputation for evocative and moving performances. Since 2006, Michelle has served as Artistic Director of the Austin Chamber Music Center, where she “is fearlessly expanding our definition of chamber music” (Austin American-Statesman). Her brand of performance includes an enthusiastic interplay with the audience and her trademark includes bringing diverse music together under a blanket of narrative events.
Schumann is artist-in-residence and professor of piano at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and additionally holds a Performance Diploma from the Vienna Conservatory.
Utah Hamrick
Dr. Utah Hamrick is a jazz educator who holds a BME and MM in Performance from Central Michigan University and a DMA in Jazz Performance from the University of Texas. He is the Director of Jazz Studies at Texas State University, where he conducts the Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Lab Band, as well as teaching jazz bass, history, and pedagogy. Utah has been a freelance bassist in central Texas for the last 20 years, performing with a wide range of ensembles including numerous jazz groups and the Austin Symphony. For the last 13 years Utah has been performing with composer Graham Reynolds, and has also performed with Houston Person, Byron Stripling, Larry Ham, Bill Watrous, Tommy Igoe, and Willie Nelson.
David Sierra
David Sierra began his musical journey when he was introduced to the drum set at the age of seven. He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance. He received the honorary Eleanor Alexander Stribling Award for Excellence in Jazz Studies upon his graduation and went on to tour with several bands, including the Bodeans. After several years performing professionally, David transitioned into a career in nursing. In 2021 he completed his Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia and currently works as a CRNA for Capitol Anesthesiology Association/USAP in Austin, Texas. David continues to perform professionally and finds passion in music no matter the style, maintaining a high standard for excellence. He believes that making music is a gift that comes with the responsibility to share, inspire, heal, and bring joy to all people.
Ephraim Owens
In his pursuit to become a professional trumpeter, Ephraim Owens moved to Austin in 1996. Since then, Owens has played for various jazz groups including the King Valentine’s Octet, the Texas Eastside Kings, the Night of Cookers and Concerto Grosso and the Texas Trumpets. Owens has performed at many of Austin’s clubs such as Speakeasy, Antone’s, Sullivan’s, the Flamingo Cantina and Reed’s Jazz Club. He has also performed around the world such as the Montreal Jazz Festival, Switzerland, New Amsterdam, Barcelona, Taiwan and other parts of Asia.