Three concerts and an opportunity for good deeds await music lovers in Ames this month

Strap on your most festive clothing and prepare for a bevy of holiday musical performances at Stephens Auditorium.

A trio of upcoming concerts offer plenty of jolly happiness, headlined by an award-winning favorite.

The innovative sounds of Mannheim Steamroller will fill Stephens Auditorium during a concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19.

Talented local vocalists in the Ames Chamber Artists group will present their holiday concert twice this weekend, at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at Collegiate Presbyterian Church, 159 Sheldon Ave.

A cappella country group Home Free brings a down-home feel to its holiday concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Stephens.

Stephens Auditorium is also hosting a Used Instrument Drive through Friday, Dec. 22, where gently used instruments are collected for area schools to use in their band and music programs.

Ames Chamber Artists celebrate 35th season

Under the leadership of artistic director Jennifer Rodgers, Ames Chamber Artists will present its holiday concert, “Perspective on Advent: A Choral Journey to Bethlehem,” as it kicks off its 35th season.

The program weaves together the stories of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the kings as they make their way to Bethlehem, according to a news release.

The program includes a renaissance motet, folk music and musical theatre, including works by Eriks Ešenvalds, Darmon Meader, Jason Robert Brown, Peter Mayer and André Thomas.

“This concert began with curiosity about beginnings — about advents,” Rodgers said in the news release. “Thinking about the well-known figures of the biblical Christmas story, I wondered about their lives before the story began and how drastically those lives changed. How much trust they needed to extend, how much they risked, and how far from their familiar surroundings they needed to travel.

“I also wanted to extract this seminal Christan origin story from its modern traditions and trace the universal experiences found in these narratives — fear of the unknown, hope for brave choices, trust in our fellow travelers, and faith that love will win out.”

Tickets are $15; tickets for seniors and students are $12. They are available online at ameschamberartists.org and at the door.

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‘Home Free for the Holidays’ tour comes to Stephens

Crowd-favorite Home Free returns to Ames on Sunday with its “Home Free for the Holidays” tour.

The all-vocal country entertainers have made their mark on the music scene, with nearly 600,000 album equivalents globally. Home Free has more than  630 million views and over 1.6 million subscribers on YouTube and was named “Country music fans’ favorite a cappella group” by Taste of Country.

“We kept our fingers and toes crossed while we worked on show dates through routing discussions,” Tammy Koolbeck, Stephens Auditorium executive director, said in a news release. “Their return to Stephens demonstrates that our audience and our community enjoy and support Home Free.”

Home Free has switched to a holiday tour this winter on the heels of a global tour supporting its 2022 album “So Long Dixie."

The holiday tour will showcase songs from previous albums, including “Warmest Winter,” released in 2020. The concert will feature “festive staples, memorable collaborations and Home Free originals — all guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit,” the release said.

Tickets range from $29.50 to $59.50 and are available at the Stephens Auditorium ticket office and online at Ticketmaster.com. VIP packages are also available and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.com.

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Bestselling Christmas act returns to Stephens

Mannheim Steamroller returns to Stephens on Tuesday celebrating more than 35 years of annual Christmas concerts across the country,

The act is the longest-running concert tour in the entertainment industry.

Mannheim Steamroller founder and creator Chip Davis is a longtime resident of Omaha, Nebraska.

“I remember when I came out with my first Christmas album in 1984 followed by our first tour. Back then, many in the music industry said focusing on Christmas just wouldn’t work,” Davis said in a news release. “Now, over 35 years later, we are still going strong. I want to thank our fans for making us part of their holiday tradition, especially after the hardships of the last few years. Today we often see multi-generational families join us during the holidays each year.”

The Grammy Award-winning group has sold more than 41 million albums. Its holiday CDs have become a Christmas tradition for fans and often occupy top positions on Billboard’s Seasonal Chart.

This year’s show will feature classic Christmas hits from the Mannheim Steamroller holiday albums along with multimedia effects. Davis is directing and co-producing the tour’s performances in collaboration with MagicSpace Entertainment.

Tickets range from $56 to $92 and are available at the Stephens Auditorium ticket office and online at Ticketmaster.com.

Donate unused instruments to students in need

December is a good time for concertgoers to look through their closets and garage for instruments that are no longer being played.

Stephens Auditorium is collecting donated instruments to distribute to students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn to play.

Gently used, hand-held instruments — in other words, no pianos — are being accepted. Instruments requiring minor repair or replacement of parts are acceptable.

School districts that will be the recipients of donated instruments this year include Ames, Ballard, Collins-Maxwell, Gilbert, Nevada, Roland-Story and St. Cecelia’s.

“Donating musical instruments to school band programs is more than just an act of generosity, providing students with an opportunity that they may not have the financial means on their own,” Becky Holliday, 6-12 instrumental and vocal music teacher at Collins-Maxwell MS/HS, said in a news release. “It is an investment in the growth of a child’s creativity, teamwork, discipline and skills that extend far beyond the classroom.”

Participation in a musical ensemble teaches young musicians so much more than playing notes and reading rhythms, Christine Heintz, 5-7 band director at Nevada Middle School, said in the release.

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“They work on teamwork, responsibility, accountability, and leadership,” she said. “Learning a band instrument works so many areas of the brain and is beneficial to their development. Although a good percentage of families are able to provide an instrument for their child, our school relies on instruments which have been donated in order for other students to have the opportunity to join the band.”

The collection drive helps Stephens support its mission of encouraging and engaging students in experiences with the performing arts. It also supports educational programs by helping provide access for students.

“As we were putting up our holiday decorations, our staff came up with this idea to support local students and schools,” Koolbeck said in the release. “We reached out to local school districts, received buy-in from them and started putting the program together — all within a week. This is just another example of Stephens Auditorium supporting our mission and vision within our community.”

Concertgoers can bring their donated instruments to Stephens when attending a show in December. The donations can be dropped off at the box office through Dec. 22. Ticket office hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Ronna Faaborg covers business and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rlawless@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Home Free, Mannheim Steamroller to perform holiday concerts in Ames