Murray State to celebrate holiday season with special events

By MSU Public Relations | Nov 20, 2023

MURRAY, Ky. — Murray State University will celebrate the holiday season with a pair of special events in December that are free and open to the public; the events include the Town & Gown Holiday Concert and the annual Holidays at Oakhurst.

The Town & Gown Holiday Concert will take place on Friday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky. The Town & Gown Chorale will be led by Dr. Bradley Almquist, director of choral activities and professor of music, while the Town & Gown Community Band will be led by Dr. Brent Johnson, director of university bands. The group will perform a mixture of traditional and modern holiday songs. 

Special to the concert this year, the Murray Elementary School Chorus will be part of the presentation. 

"We are thrilled that the Murray Elementary School Chorus, under the direction of April Sexton, will be our special guest choir at this concert,” said Almquist. “They will be performing on their own and joining the Chorale for a special double choir selection. I am always thrilled to welcome the Elementary School Choir to this performance. They bring such an excitement and enthusiasm to the event."

The President’s Office and Town & Gown will host the annual Holidays at Oakhurst event on Tuesday, Dec. 12 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. The Murray State community and general public are invited for an evening of holiday cheer, refreshments and musical performances by University students in this historic home. Oakhurst is located at 1510 Main Street in Murray.

"As we welcome in the yuletide season, Murray State Town & Gown is thrilled to continue our holiday traditions by partnering with the President's Office and broader community with these two great events," said Christian Barnes, co-lead for the Town & Gown Community Partnership program. "There's no better way to kick off the holidays and we hope many members of our Murray and Calloway County community will join us!"