KPR's Big Band Christmas set for Dec. 14

LAWRENCE – Get out the mistletoe and your dancing shoes. Kansas Public Radio is welcoming the holiday season with its fifth annual Big Band Christmas concert.

LAWRENCE – Get out the mistletoe and your dancing shoes. Kansas Public Radio will welcome the holiday season with its fifth annual Big Band Christmas concert.

The celebration of holiday tunes performed by the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra will be 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at Liberty Hall. Tickets are $20 per person, available through Ticketmaster or the Liberty Hall box office.

There will be table seating downstairs. Doors open at 7 p.m. for first-come, first-served seating. Seating is also available in the balcony.

Dancing is strongly encouraged.

“This is always a great night for music lovers and KPR listeners,” said Janet Campbell, KPR’s general manager. "We’ve made this concert an annual holiday tradition, and we’re delighted that people come back every year. We hope to see everyone out on the dance floor.”

KPR also invites attendees to share the holiday spirit by bringing nonperishable food items to the concert. KPR will donate them to Just Food. They encourage healthy food donations like whole-wheat grains, low-sodium vegetables and canned fruit in their own sugars.

Joining the 17-piece KCJO will be vocalist Ron Gutierrez.

Formed in 2003, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra brings many of the region’s greatest jazz musicians together to perform big-band jazz in a concert setting. The 2013-14 concert season is KCJO’s first under the direction of Clint Ashlock, Kansas City native and trumpeter. Through concert performances and educational endeavors, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra strives to preserve the rich heritage of jazz, nurture its growth and encourage the appreciation of jazz as a viable art form.

KPR, a 15-time Kansas Association of Broadcasters Station of the Year, licensed to the University of Kansas, broadcasts on 91.5 FM in Lawrence, 89.7 FM in Emporia, 91.3 FM in Olsburg-Junction City, 89.9 FM in Atchison, 90.3 FM in Chanute, and 99.5 FM and 97.9 FM in Manhattan. KPR can be heard online. KPR also operates KPR2, a news-talk programming stream, which can be heard on an HD receiver or on KPR’s website.