Kaelyn Benoit
Staff Writer
LAKELAND, FL– Searching for snow, festive lights, and musical pieces that would fit in Santa’s workshop? Look no further than the annual Florida Southern College Christmas Gala, as student performers ring in the season within Branscomb Auditorium.
This beloved seasonal campus tradition of more than 35 years is inspired by the holiday spirit, and features performances from the FSC music department’s many ensembles. Ranging from the FSC Orchestra, Symphony and Jazz Bands, Choirs, and small group ensembles, students of various musical backgrounds and educational disciplines come together to create a holiday performance that brings in crowds from all across the city.
This year’s performances took place on December 13, featuring one show at 2 p.m. and the other at 7 p.m. The overall theme was “‘Winter Wonderland: The Christmas Gala” featuring a “heartwarming celebration of the season through the power of music.” per the FSC box office website.
“I hope that [the audience] just enjoys the sound and they really just live in the moment,” junior Alex Stevenson said, “It’s really about just portraying that Christmas spirit, and I hope they have fun with it.”
When it came to piecing this production together, dress rehearsals were held on Thursday Dec. 11 and Friday Dec. 12. Both rehearsals ran from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., making for a lengthy commitment for both students and staff alike. Each ensemble has different places throughout the run that they come on stage, so the actual rehearsal process takes a lot of calculation to make sure all entrances go smoothly.
Stevenson is a member of the Chamber Singers, and is accustomed to the fast-paced rehearsal process, citing preparedness as the main factor that keeps him on top of everything when time gets down to the wire.
“You should be prepared, know what you’re going to do, and figure it out beforehand,” Stevenson said, “It kind of feels like you’re just sliding in there to find your place. We’re going from the band, to the orchestra, to the choir, to the concert choir. It’s very back and forth, and you have to be ready and be prepared, because they don’t wanna waste any extra time on anything that’s trivial.”
But when it comes down to it, the performances themselves are what make the rehearsal process worthwhile.
“I really like the song we perform with the Concert Choir, ‘Veni Veni’. That song is super fun, it’s very exciting and very intense. I like hearing it with all of those voices” Stevenson said.
The Chamber Singers and Concert Choir vocal ensembles do not typically rehearse together, so performers got the chance to come together for some songs within this holiday performance.
“It’s really nice being a part of a big group, especially when we get to partner with the Concert Choir. I really like hearing all of our voices blend together.” Stevenson said, “It takes a little bit of adjusting I will say, but once we all get together there are a lot more voices and it just sounds a lot fuller and more pronounced.”
As for the instrumentalists, there is no shortage of performances, ranging from full orchestral groups to small ensembles with two or three musicians.
Junior Music Management major Hannah Kuhlman is a member of the String Quartet, along with the Strings Orchestra. She also arranged a piece that was performed in the Gala, which was the first time Kuhlman had had a piece of theirs performed for an audience.
“I love the Harry in Winter arrangement. I helped arrange it myself, so it was a fun moment to be included in that part,” Kuhlman said.
The 2025 Christmas Gala featured new additions this year, including a brand-new projection system and a fake snow machine. The outside of Branscomb Auditorium was also lit up with various red and green light fixtures, all in the hopes of creating a festive and inviting atmosphere.
“With these new additions, we hope to not only impress audiences, but bring in more prospective music students,” Branscomb Auditorium operations manager Korie Aiken said, “We want them to see themselves in this space and hopefully give them a reason to choose Florida Southern.”
Each song in the concert featured its own personalized projection to accommodate the lyrics or the message of the piece, and to close out the performance, audiences were showered with bubbly fake “snowflakes” from the ceiling as they rang in the yearly concert closer– the Christmas carol sing-a-long.
And when it comes to the sing-a-long, everyone goes all in.
“All of the musicians from every department sing Christmas carols and sing them to people in the audience, which they then get to join in on,” senior Music Performance major Gillary Santiago said, “I think it’s a really heartfelt moment.”
The 2025 Christmas Gala is available to be watched via saved livestream, courtesy of the FSC Festival of Fine Arts Youtube page. Both the 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. performances are available, and can be played back at any time.
From non-music majors to those deeply involved within the majors and department, the Gala provides students from all sides of campus the space to perform and spread some Moccasin holiday cheer along the way.
View more photos HERE
