The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Friday, March 29, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel
Canvas

Loreleis and Clef Hangers sing holiday songs under the stars

The UNC Loreleis and Clef Hangers spread holiday cheer under the stars Tuesday night at Morehead Planetarium.

The show was part of a Holiday Concert Series at the Morehead Planetarium. The two groups performed sets of holiday songs as well as some songs from their normal repertoires.

Loreleis president and UNC senior Rachael Vaughn said the group would sing their holiday favorites, such as “Santa Baby” and “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.”

“After our fall concert ends and we don’t have anything left in the semester, we begin to learn new Christmas songs,” Vaughn said.

“Because the seniors who held solos the previous year have graduated, we hold auditions for these songs to see who in the group this year will revive those solos.”

The Loreleis worked with their co-performers, the UNC Clef Hangers, to come up with a holiday-themed set of songs.

Charlie Harris, Clef Hangers president and also a UNC senior, performed in the first of these A cappella Concert Series in the Morehead Planetarium as a sophomore.

“It’s a really fun thing to do,” Harris said. “The tickets sell pretty fast, and ever since we did it for the first time two or three years ago, both groups have been really proud and excited to go back.”

The concert took place in the GSK Fulldome Theater, with a star show to accompany the melodies.

“That’s the most special part of the show,” Vaughn said.

“The lights are off in the dome, and as the star show plays the seats are leaned back a little, so it’s kind of a sensory overload. Between the music and the scenery, you get in the holiday spirit, and people leave in a very cheery mood.” she said.

Harris said the space is a change of pace from The Clefhangers’ normal venues, physically and acoustically.

“We do a sound check beforehand, because the space is a little different acoustically from what we normally do — it’s much larger with the dome, but it’s really cool to be under there while they’re messing with the ceiling,” he said.

Vaughn said the star show starts out slow, then increases in speed and incorporates different kinds of light.

“Sometimes the fast, colored lights can be distracting, so you have to make sure you’re grounded and looking out into the audience instead of up,” she said.
Harris said the star show within the concert is a cool experience to share with the audience.

“Sometimes it’s nice to sing with something else going on, to have the audience hearing us but looking up at the stars, because typically all eyes are on us,” he said.

“We realized when we first did it how cool of an event it is. So we’re really happy to come back and bring a little bit of fun to finals week and the end of the semester.”

arts@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.



Comments

Special Print Edition
The Daily Tar Heel's Collaborative Mental Health Edition