5th Annual Carols & Cookies Holiday Concert and Bake Sale

Thrilling holiday music, delicious homemade baked good, free refreshments, free admission for children under 12, and special musical guests add up to an afternoon of fun and good cheer at the Middlesex Concert Band’s 5th Annual Carols & Cookies holiday concert and bake sale at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, at the Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium in the Galvin Middle School, 525 Main Street, Wakefield, MA.

Music Director Mark Olson has put together a program with an international flair, starting with “An American Christmas” by Robert Smith, which cleverly blends the popular Sousa march “The Stars and Stripes Forever” with favorite Christmas tunes like “Jingle Bells,’ “March of the Toy Soldiers,” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Also on the program are the bright Latin rhythms of “Feliz Navidad,” the traditional Spanish flair of “Rhapsody on Spanish Carols,” the 18th Century Welsh hymn “Rhosymedre,” and the beautiful Celtic melody of one of the world’s oldest Christmas carols, “The Wexford Carol,” and much more..

The band will be joined by the First Baptist Church of Wakefield’s Handbell Choir, under the direction of Donna Burns, who will perform on their own as well as blended with the band in “And All the Bells on Earth Shall Ring,” a joyous medley of carols including “Ding! Dong! Merrily on High,” “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” and “Ukrainian Bell Carol.”.

Adding to the variety this year, the band will also be joined by vocalist April Foley. April is a highly accomplished singer and voice teacher, with a teaching studio in North Andover (www.aprilfoley.com). She will lend her voice to the nostalgic “Christmas from the ‘50s,” a medley of four songs as popular today as they were 60 years ago. April will also be heard on the lovely ballad, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” before leading an audience sing-along..

The traditional concert portion of the afternoon, which runs approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, will be presented in the auditorium with no intermission. The music will then continue in the cafeteria, where the audience is invited to enjoy complimentary refreshments provided by the Whole Foods Market of Melrose, while being serenaded by small caroling groups made up of band members. .

Following the concert, audience members will also have an opportunity to stock up on holiday goodies at a bake sale featuring an extensive selection of homemade packaged baked goods for sale. The MCB bakers will be hard at work creating an assortment of cookies, breads, and cakes so you don’t have to. .

The Middlesex Concert Band is a nonprofit, community band made up of more than 50 musicians of all ages who come from throughout Northeast Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Originally founded in the 1950s as a marching band, the group evolved into a concert band in 1975. This year marks 40 years of continuous performances. While the membership naturally fluctuates from year to year as members’ lives change, there is a core of nearly half the roster who have been members for 15 to 20 years, and more. .

Carols & Cookies takes place at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015 at the Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium in the Galvin Middle School, 525 Main Street, Wakefield, MA. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and children under 12 are admitted free. For tickets and more information about Carols & Cookies or the Middlesex Concert Band, go to www.mcbconcertband.org. For questions about tickets, please contact the MCB box office at boxoffice@mcbconcertband.org (or 781-670-7662).