Enjoy the sounds of the season when Manheim Central High School (MCHS) presents its annual holiday concert at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 19. Due to ongoing construction at the high school, the performance will be held in the auditorium of the middle school, 261 White Oak Road, Manheim.

The MCHS concert band, orchestra and choir will perform during the program. Under the direction of John Brackbill, the concert band will perform "The Joyful Rose of Winter," which is a musical portmanteau of "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"; "Fantasia on Silent Night"; and a suite of selections from "The Polar Express." The orchestra will be directed by Shenna Caravella and will perform "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," "Around the World at Christmas Time," "Liszt Christmas Suite" and "Shaker Variants." Directed by Stephanie Magaro, the choir will perform "Gaudete!" - a traditional Latin carol dating back to the Renaissance; "Glow," a piece by contemporary composer Eric Whitacre; "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"; and "Carol of the Bells."

The concert is a joint production between the MCHS music department and Interact Club.

Interact Club is a service club sponsored through the Rotary Club of Manheim and Manheim Central School District. The theme for Interact is "Service Above Self," with the central concept of students giving back to the community. Members are required to volunteer a minimum of 10 service hours by the end of each school year. Past projects have included assisting with roadside cleanup, serving free community meals in the Manheim area, helping with the evening meal at Water Street Mission in Lancaster, caroling at Pleasant View Communities, volunteering at the Manheim Central Foundation for Educational Enrichment auction, assisting at the Manheim Community Farm Show and more. Club advisers are Amy Burdyn, Lyndsey Rote and LuAnn Wise.

Members of Interact will hand out programs prior to the concert and will collect donations during intermission. All of the funds raised through donations will be divided between two scholarships that will be presented to graduating seniors at the end of the school year. One scholarship will benefit a student selected by the music department faculty, and one will be given to a student chosen by the Interact Club advisers.

Concert attendees are reminded to follow district COVID guidelines for mask wearing and social distancing.