The joyous sounds of Christmas carols sung by a choir and played by classical band instrumentation will fill Decker Auditorium as the Iowa Central Community College Music Department presents its annual holiday concerts.

“Sounds of the Season” will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday in the auditorium on Iowa Central Community College’s campus. Prior to Thursday’s concert, the annual presidential holiday reception will be held, beginning at 6 p.m.

The jazz band, under the direction of Paul Bloomquist, will open the show with Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” as well as a Latin-inspired “I’ll be Home For Christmas,” and a holiday-inspired Earth, Wind, and Fire mashup.

The concert choir, under the direction of Jacob Pedersen, will present an arrangement of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Wexford Carol,” and the gospel piece “Go Where I Send Thee.”

“My favorite piece for the concert is ‘Wexford Carol,’ arranged by Elaine Hagenberg,” said student Mason Lundberg. “I like the mix of unison and harmony throughout the piece from the vocals, as well as how the instrumental parts support the mysterious feel of the song.”

The vocal jazz and vocal ensemble will sing “The Girl From Ipanema,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and “Frosty the Snowman.”

The concert band will close with “Swan Lake” and the “Mad Russian’s Christmas,” as well as the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.”

“My favorite song to play is ‘Parade of the Wooden Soldiers’ because it is a piece that shows off the childlike wonder and the whimsical nature of Christmas,” said student Bryce Walker.

“‘Carnival of Venice’ is one of my all-time favorite trumpet pieces,” added student Nicholas Ross. “It features me on trumpet, and the band plays the accompaniment. I’ve been working on this piece for over a year now, and I’m just really excited to play my first ever trumpet solo for the Iowa Central concert band.”

The annual Sounds of the Season concerts are free to attend both Thursday and Friday nights.

If you go

What: Sounds of the Season

When: 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday

Where: Decker Auditorium, Iowa Central Community College

Admission is free.