COEUR d'ALENE - North Idaho College will present its "Sounds of Christmas" concert in Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The concert will feature performances by the NIC Wind Symphony, NIC Cardinal Chorale, NIC Chamber Singers and Cardinal Vocal Jazz. This concert features the audience favorite Christmas carol sing-along.

The North Idaho College Wind Symphony, conducted by Terry M.L. Jones, is a community group with more than 2,000 years of playing experience. The multi-generational group blends high school students, college students and community members into one ensemble to create art.

Pieces to be performed by the symphony include "Festival Fanfare for Christmas" by John Wasson, which is based on two familiar Christmas carols: "Joy to the World" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful." The piece opens with a Baroque-style fanfare powerfully played by the brass section. After the flashy opening, Wasson uses the clarinets, trombones and euphoniums to bring in the first carol, "O Come, All Ye Faithful." The fanfare then becomes decoration for the carol. "O Come, All Ye Faithful" will be followed by "Joy to the World" with the fanfare, again, used as a decoration. The piece then weaves all three. "Joy to the World," "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and the fanfare together to create an exciting opening for the wind symphony.

"Jubilant Holiday," by Sean O'Loughlin, is primarily based on the old hymn "In Dulci Jubilo." The original melody can be traced to 14th century Germany with lyrics in both German and Latin. The first appearance of the melody has an old English flavor to it and is decorated by a hint of "Angels We Have Heard on High." After some clever "sprinkling" of musical color, the piece tips its hat to Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker." After a slight quickening of the tempo, the music takes on a Latin flare nodding to Alberto Ginastera's ballet music.

"Jingle Them Bells," arranged by Julie Giroux, takes the listener though a number of styles with high energy and lots of color. A simple melody, it lends itself to creative ideas in presentation, making for a wild ride for the performer and the audience.

"Holiday Sing-Along," arranged by Tom Tucker, is an opportunity for everyone to join in the "Holiday Sing-Along." This year's version will give a chance to sing a favorite part of the "Hallelujah Chorus."

The NIC choirs, under the direction of Max Mendez, will also share the music of the Christmas season with the North Idaho community. Each choir will sing beautiful arrangements of classic carols and holiday favorites for audiences both young and young at heart.

The North Idaho College Cardinal Chorale consists of singers from across campus and the community. They perform regularly on the Schuler stage and in area churches. This ensemble has collaborated with the Coeur d'Alene Symphony and Northwest Sacred Music Chorale and recently collaborated with composer Tim Sharp to perform his "High Lonesome Mass" in Coeur d'Alene. In May 2015, members of this choir will travel to New York City to be a part of the Carnegie Hall debut of "High Lonesome Mass."

The Cardinal Chorale will perform Antonio Vivaldi's Domine fili unigenite from Gloria in addition to arrangements of the French carol Nol Nouvelet. Following the success of Disney's Frozen, the choir will sing a choral suite from the movie.

The NIC Chamber Singers group has traveled to Mexico and San Francisco to perform for enthusiastic audiences. Their repertoire spans from early chant to a cappella arrangements of modern songs. The Chamber Singers will welcome guest violinists Gerard Mathes and Keegan Bernardin in a performance of Dietrich Buxtehde's In Dulci Jubilo.

Cardinal Vocal Jazz comprises 11 versatile singers and a rhythm section. This group specializes in close harmony and vocal improvisation. The singers regularly perform at on-campus and community events. Its repertoire includes music of the Great American Songbook, Latin/Bossa Nova selections, and inventive arrangements of today's popular music. Cardinal Vocal Jazz will perform the holiday music of Irving Berlin, including everybody's favorite, "White Christmas."