Choir members perfom at the Winter wUNDerland concert Saturday at the Chester Fritz Auditorium. Photo by Jennifer Friese/The Dakota Student.

The choirs of the UND Department of Music hosted the second annual Winter wUNDerland holiday concert on Saturday in the Chester Fritz Auditorium.

The concert featured more than 250 musicians from UND and included performances by the UND Concert Choir, Varsity Bards, Allegro Women’s Choir, Vivo Women’s Ensemble, Steel Pan Ensemble, student soloists and the Grand Cities Children’s Choirs.

“These are some of the best choirs in the region performing many holiday classics,” Director of Choral Activities at UND Joshua Bronfman said. “The style of music performed will run the gauntlet. There’s a little something for everyone.”

The concert began with the Choral Union singing “Noel” and ended with a candlelit “Still, Still Night.”

The concert featured a collection of classic holiday carols as well as popular holiday songs.

Song selections for the concert included “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “Mary, Did You Know,” “Let There Be Peace on Earth” and “Oh Holy Night.”

“I think the Winter wUNDerland (concert) is the most beautiful concert that we do,” UND choir member Amanda Kalka said. “It’s so neat to have the kids involved. I’m a senior so this is my last year to do this. Near the end I was starting to tear up, but its so beautiful to see the whole theater filled with people and music. I love it.”

UND choir members said that the musical was a success, not only with the amount of people, but with the talent brought by the choir members. “I think it went really well. Its fun to be able to bring so much joy,” UND choir member Michelle Sanders said. “Christmas time is a time for joy, and we’re able to share that with people through music. We had such a great turn out.”

With all who attended, tickets to the concert cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The proceeds went to the UND Choral Department to help with future concerts and music.

“I thought it went very well,” UND choir member Hunter Jermone said. “It’s always fun to see how many people come out to see it. This is my second year doing the Winter wUNDerland concert, and I think there was an even better turnout than last year.”

The Winter wUNDerland concert is an event that will continue to come in future years.“We think this can continue to grow and become an event that everyone in the community looks forward to around the holiday season,” Bronfman said.

Katie Haines is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].