Take the time to enjoy Christmas with music and assist the Music Department fundraise for scholarships. A Celtic Christmas Celebration is planned for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, in Leon Memorial Hall. All proceeds from the event will benefit scholarships for Adams State College music students.

The evening's concert will feature the local Celtic group, Tripping Upstairs, as well as Adams State music faculty and students, performing Celtic Christmas songs, including sing-a-long carols.

Join the Adams State Friends of Music at the $100 level, or above, and receive two free tickets to the Celtic Christmas Celebration and an invitation to a private reception.

ALMA is co-sponsoring the Celtic Christmas. Tickets are $10 ALMA, $12 general public, and $15 at the door, and can be purchased at the Adams State Music Department Office or at the Green Spot, located at 711 State Ave. in Alamosa, Colo. For more information, please contact the Music Department at 719-587-7621.

The San Luis Valley Symphony will present its Holiday Classics Concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, in Leon Memorial Hall on the Adams State College campus. Under the direction of Dr. William Lipke, the program will feature the beloved holiday favorite "The Nutcracker" by Peter Tchaikovsky and the popular Symphony No. 94, "Surprise," by Franz Joseph Haydn.

The SLV Symphony is composed of professional musicians, Adams State faculty members and students, and community members. For more information call the Adams State Music Department at 719-587-7621 or email walipke@adams.edu. Admission is $5 adults/$1 children/free to AS&F and Friends of Music.

The Adams State College Music Department’s Winterfest 2011 Concert will feature holiday favorites performed for the whole family. Pictured, the Adams State Concert Choir, along with ensembles including Jazz Band, 68 West, Steel Drums, Orchestra, Chamber Choir, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and chamber ensembles, will perform beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, in Richardson Hall Auditorium.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Music Department at 719-587-7621.

Pictured, Looking sharp, the Adams State College percussion students will perform during the Percussion Spectacular at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, in Richardson Hall Auditorium. The concert will feature the ASC Percussion Ensemble, ASC Drum Line, SLV Community Steel Band, and Rocky Mountain Pan Handlers performing works from Levitan to Kobe, Skidmore to Noller, Beethoven to Boogsie. Special performances by David Noller, drum set, and Klifford Holly, marimba, will be included in the concert.

Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for students and is free to AS&F and Friends of Music. For more information, please contact 719-587-7621.

Featuring music from many of the jazz greats, the Adams State College Fall Jazz Concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in Richardson Hall Auditorium.

The ASC Big Band will perform works from the bands of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, and in preparation for the December 2 and 3 Jazz Festival, a chart by Bobby Shew. Numerous student soloists will be featured, including freshman singer, Angela Prentiss. Also on the program is the ASC Jazz Combo and the vocal a cappella ensemble, 68 West.

68 West will perform music by James Taylor, Billy Joel, Julius Dixon, and Paul Simon, as well as music recorded by Coldplay, ABBA and the King's Singers.

Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for students and is free to AS&F and Friends of Music. For more information, please contact 719-587-7621.

The Alamosa Live Music Association presents singer-songwriter Antonio A. Lopez in concert to celebrate the release of his debut album The Romantic and The Realist. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, in Leon Memorial Hall.

The award winning Don Conoscenti Trio from Taos, NM, along with local-legend Don Richmond will accompany Lopez, an Adams State 2010 alumnus who graduated with degrees in music performance and composition.

The Romantic and The Realist was recorded at The Pearl Recording Studio in Minneapolis, Minn., with producer Zach Hollander. Lopez said he and Hollander worked 12 hours a day without lulls in creativity or inspiration. "It was almost like our brains were wired together. Throughout the whole session there was not one technical difficulty. It was as if all the stars were perfectly aligned."

The album is a 13-song collection of original material with an earthy modern-folk-rock feel. Nashville based recording artist Tyler James describes Antonio's music as "raw and beautiful...two traits any young songwriter should strive for."

To fund the project, Lopez worked five jobs simultaneously. He juggled his time as a substitute teacher, high school soccer coach, personal care assistant for a quadriplegic, guitar instructor, and AmeriCorp volunteer. He believes his hard work and determination is paying off. Hollander, who has worked on over 1,000 records -some with big name bands and artists, says The Romantic and The Realist is one of the best albums he helped produce.

Tickets are available at the Adams State Music Department or the Narrow Gauge Newsstand. Ticket prices include $10 in advance; $12 at the door; $5 for students and seniors; ALMA member receive $2 off ticket price. Receive a complimentary copy of the album with ticket. For more information, call 719-233-1593 or visit www.antonioalopez.com.

The Adams State College fall band concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in Richardson Hall Auditorium. Dr. Jamie VanValkenberg will conduct the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble.

Admission for the Saturday evening concert is $5 for adults, $1 for students and is free to AS&F and Friends of Music. For more information call 719-587-7621.

The Adams State College Chamber Choir and Concert Choir fall concert is 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, in Sacred Heart Church. They will perform works by Ola Gjeilo, W. A. Mozart, Gian Carlo Menotti and female Renaissance composer, Raphaela Aleotta. The concert will include English and American folk songs, music from South Africa, songs about cats and unicorns, and settings of wonderful texts by Shakespeare and Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for students and is free to AS&F and Friends of Music. For more information call 719-587-7621.

The Adams State College Department of Music will host the guest guitarist, Phil Hemmo in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, in Leon Memorial Concert Hall.

Hemmo is known throughout the Unites States as a teacher and performer of the classical guitar. His academic training includes degrees from the University of Arizona (B.M.) and Illinois State University (M.M.), as well as study at the Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv. He has been featured in concert throughout the US and Mexico as a soloist as well as working with symphonies and chamber ensembles. He has performed such large ensemble works as Ramancero Gitano by Castanuavo-Tedesco, Concerto in D Major by Antonio Vivaldi, Fantasia para un Gentilhombre by Joaquin Rodrigo, as well as numerous small ensemble works. In addition to his performing schedule, Hemmo has served on the faculty both the University of Arizona and Pima Community College. Hemmo's students include international competition winners, performing artists, and current University Instructors.

Hemmo is the author of the guitar method text 'Beginning Classroom Guitar' (Thompson Learning 1998 & 2004) which is the textbook of choice for guitar courses across the United States. His latest recording, 'Romantic Works for Classical Guitar' was released in 2010 on the Project Aurora Recordings.

In 2000, he opened Southwest Guitar Studio, which is now Arizona's largest classical guitar store and school. Hemmo is endorsed by Larrivee.

For more information, please contact the Adams State Music Department at 719-587-7621.

The chorus will be directed by Beth Robison and accompanied by Claire Troyer. Vocal soloists are Michelle Richardson, Debbie Whitmore, Hardy Oliver, Erich Schwiesow and Mark Wagstrom.