Southeast's annual Family Holiday Concert makes return Saturday

Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Music will present the Percussion Ensemble's Family Holiday Concert at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday in the Bedell Performance Hall at Southeast's River Campus.

The event will feature performances by Southeast's Chamber Choir, Steel Drum Band and Dance Ensemble, as well as the Jackson High School Percussion Ensemble and members of the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra.

"I carefully choose repertoire that I know will appeal to a wide audience because of its familiarity in today's pop culture environment," said Shane Mizicko, professor of music and director of percussion. "The majority of the pieces on the concert are fast-paced and exciting in nature, and the overall concert is generally 50 minutes or less."

The concert will include singalongs and slideshows from holiday favorites such as "Frosty" and "Rudolph." All the music is child-friendly, and popular songs such as "Sleigh Ride," "Deck the Halls," "Jingle Bells," "The Polar Express" and hits from the movie "Frozen" will be performed.

Children will be able to color before the concert, and there will be complimentary milk and cookies afterward.

Mizicko said attendance has continued to grow since the annual concert began in 2008. It started with about 400 attendees and grew to more than 1,400 in 2014.

"My goal has always been to provide a professional caliber concert that welcomes families with young children and to provide a means to introduce the general public to the wonderful world of modern percussion," Mizicko said.

Pertinent address:

518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.