The holiday season is in full swing and it wouldn’t be complete without another fabulous concert from the Turtle Creek Chorale (TCC) to make sure you’re in full spirit. Be sure to catch “My Favorite Things” from the all-men’s chorus on Dec. 4, 11 and 21 in Dallas.

This holiday tradition-that’s right, tradition-has long been a favorite by locals for more than 20 years.  The TCC is known for creating a fabulous combination of beautiful holiday music and comedic entertainment.

Laughter and tears (sometimes both at the same time) will accompany the beauty of the season as this 200-voice internationally recognized men’s chorus performs favorites like “Angel Carol”, “We Need A Little Christmas”, “The First Noel”, “Jingle Bells”,” O Holy Night”, “Silent Night”, and more!

According to Trey Jacobs, the Chorale’s interim conductor, he is thrilled to celebrate the season through music.

“This concert will be a high point for all who hear it because the heart of this chorus comes shining through in every note they sing,” Jacobs said. “This is a gift that you will surely want to share with your friends and family.”

The organization will continue their holiday tradition by hosting the 22nd annual toy drive, benefiting Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital. The TCC invites patrons to bring a new, unwrapped toy with them to the concert to donate. Each year, the hospitals count on the donations to help children, especially patients, know that Santa remembers them.

“My Favorite Things” (which happens to indeed be… one of our favorite things) premieres Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, with subsequent concerts on Dec. 11 and 21. Tickets range from $20-65 and may be purchased online at www.turtlecreek.org or by phone at 214-526-3214. Be sure to tell them your friends at the Dallas CVB sent ya!

The Turtle Creek Chorale (TCC), Dallas’ world-renowned male chorus, will kick off its 32nd concert season with “Messiah” on Oct. 23, 2011 at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. This concert marks the Dallas debut of Ira M. (Trey) Jacobs III as the TCC Interim Conductor for the season.

Jacobs, a resident of Mobile, Ala. is a 20-year choral veteran and one of the most sought after clinicians in America.  After dedicating his life to music education and award-winning choral conducting, he is passionate about the belief that “music is a gift that binds people together.”

In the first half of “Messiah”, the Chorale will perform some of its finest and favorite pieces including, “We’re Not Lost, We’re Here”; the “Last Words of David and Majesty and Glory of his Name”.  To end the act, the Texas State University (TSU) Women’s Choir will join TCC on stage to perform Paul Bassler’s electrifying “Alleluia”.

“I remember how I felt the first time I heard the Chorale sing! You will experience that power in the opening moments of this concert,” said David Fisher, executive director of the Chorale.

In the second act, the Chorale will be joined on stage by the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Meadows School of the Arts Concert Choir, Dr. Pamela Elrod, conductor; the TSU Women’s Choir, Dr. Lynn Brinckmeyer, conductor; and singers from over 50 Dallas-area faith institutions who are part of the 300+ voice Partners In Harmony mass choir. Also joining will be soloists Jammieca Mott, soprano; Augustine Mercante, countertenor; Aaron Blake, tenor; and David Grogan, bass.

The Partners In Harmony massed choir will perform selections from Handel’s masterwork, “Messiah”. Past performances of the Partners In Harmony massed choir have included Mozart’s “Requiem” and John Rutter’s “Gloria”.

“Eight years ago, we created a program called Partners In Harmony where Dallas-based religious organizations were encouraged to affirm our belief that all people are created equal,” said Rev. Dawson Taylor, chair of the board of the TCC.

Today, there are more than 50 churches and two synagogues that have pledged support of this credo.

Accompanying the massed choir will be members of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. According to the organization’s president, Amy Adkins, the Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to partner with the Chorale on this program.

“It is going to be a grand event and we are honored to be a part of it,” Adkins explained.

The Partners In Harmony concert, “Messiah”, marks the beginning of the 32nd performance season. The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center will host all four TCC season concert performances. The remaining performances will be presented in December of 2011 and in March and May of 2012.

Tickets for this one-night only event range from $20-65 and may be purchased online at www.turtlecreek.org.

It’s Thursday! Wondering how to kick off your Independence Day weekend? We recommend grabbing a cocktail and catching a live performance from Prince Poppycock, tonight at Station 4.

Poppycock emerged into popularity with his appearance on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”. Although he didn’t snatch the top prize, he was a finalist and that makes him pretty fabulous. He does a pretty phenomenal job integrating elaborate costumes and theatrics with an amazing voice.

Sharon Osborne, a judge on “America’s Got Talent,” described him as being the “male version of Lady Gaga.” Do you agree? Maybe you should catch him in person before rendering your decision.

Doors to S4 open at 9 p.m. and Prince Poppycock performs at midnight. Admission for guests age 21 and over is $8, those ages 18-20 get in for $15. For more information, visit www.partyattheblock.com.

There’s no denying anyone who digs the Blues will really dig the once-in-a-lifetime experience that is BLUES AT THE CROSSROADS: THE ROBERT JOHNSON CENTENNIAL CONCERTS.

The very special tour and accompanying studio recording (to be released early 2011) commemorates the 100th Anniversary of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson’s birth with exhilarating collaborations between Big Head Todd & The Monsters, living Bluesman legend David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Hubert Sumlin, and Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm.

With Edwards on board, BLUES AT THE CROSSROADS has a direct connection back to the legend, as Edwards was in attendance for Johnson’s last live performance the night Johnson passed away.

“We both wanted to create a blues show that was not just another blues show, but a show that was truly unique,” said Blues at the Crossroads co-producer Ron Hausfeld, who is producing the tour with Ted Kurland Associates’ Jack Randall.  “We want people to walk away saying, ‘Wow…that was cool…I’ve never seen anything like it.’”

Before the tour hits the road, BLUES AT THE CROSSROADS musicians met this fall at Ardent Recording Studios in Memphis to put this epic collaboration to tape.  The studio recordings will be released in early 2011 in conjunction with the tour.

BLUES AT THE CROSSROADS picks up the thread of Johnson’s legacy in Mississippi, at the junction of US Highways 61 & 49; the very crossroads where, as legend has it, Robert Johnson’s burning desire pushed him to make his deal with the devil - giving up his soul to write the baddest-ass blues the world had ever heard.

One of the most famous Delta blues musicians, Johnson has influenced a broad range of musicians for generations with his songs, vocal phrasing and guitar style - in particular his landmark recordings from 1936-1937 that display a remarkable combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent.

Eric Clapton has called Johnson “the most important blues singer that ever lived” and described Johnson’s emotive vocal delivery as “the most powerful cry that I think you can find in the human voice.”  Johnson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an “Early Influence” in their first induction ceremony in 1986. Johnson’s shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 in 1938 have given rise to much legend.

Want to check it out for yourself? We have special 15 percent off offer if you use code “floor” for floor tickets or “balcony” for balcony tickets when buying tickets via the link below!

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