The Southern Stars Symphonic Brass are giving a Christmas present to the greater Crossville area by providing a FREE ADMISSION concert of Christmas and Holiday music. This 30-musician-strong professional instrumental ensemble’s concerts normally require a purchased ticket, but on a bi-annual basis, they invite the community to come to hear this premiere group as their gift to the community for their support over the years.

The members of the SSSB are drawn from outstanding musicians who travel to Crossville from Nashville, Cookeville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, S. E. Kentucky and Crossville areas and represent university and secondary music educators and some others with careers that are also top accomplished musicians.

The concert is on Saturday, December 1 at 3:00 pm in the outstanding, 1,200-seat auditorium of Stone Memorial High School located at 2800 Cook Rd. in Crossville.

This year’s concert program includes many favorites for the season and will feature several instrumental soloists accompanied by the SSSB. The featured soloists’ selections are:

“Frosty the Snowman” – a tuba and bass trombone rendition

“Ding Dong Merrily on High” – euphonium solo

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – tuba solo, and

“Christmas Song” also known as “Chestnuts Roasting” – flugelhorn solo.

Rounding out the rest of the concert will be the following:

“Christmas Festival” by Leroy Anderson

“Good Christian Men Rejoice” and “God Rest You Merry Gentlemen” – both done in a big band swing style

“Christmas Suite”

“Silent Night”

“Carol of the Bells”

“Holly & the Ivy”

“Hallelujah” – from Handel’s “Messiah”

“Trepak” from the “Nutcracker Suite”

“Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson including whip cracks and even a horse whinny!

Our generous sponsors are: Bed & Biscuit Kennel – Concert Season Sponsor, and this concert’s sponsors – Tim & Susan Tewalt and the Fairfield Glade Rotary Club. It is their financial support that allows this concert to be provided FREE to the public and we give thanks to them.

A tradition of this Christmas concert is the receiving of a free-will offering of which a significant portion, in the spirit of this season, is given to two deserving non-profit organizations. This year the Southern Stars are pleased to provide donations from the free-will offering to: (1) Hospice of Cumberland County in support of Cumberland House, and (2) House of Hope / Threads of Hope.

Over the 11 years of the SSSB’s existence, this special Christmas concert and the generosity of the audiences, have allowed the donation of significant funds to many other area non-profit organizations.

This concert has historically had a high attendance with capacity level crowds which is a recognition of the interest in getting to hear the Southern Stars Symphonic Brass present beloved music of the coming Christmas season.

There is plenty of parking at the high school. Doors to the concert will open at 2:30 pm. Attendees are welcomed to visit tables in the lobby where the two recipient non-profits will have information about their organizations.

The SSSB will also have their ticket sales table where you can purchase tickets for their final two concerts of the season, which are on Feb. 10 and April 28 of 2019. Single tickets for Adults are $22, and Students are $5, and a short season ticket for both future concerts is $35.