Ames’ snowless landscape may not inspire the holiday spirit, but that isn’t stopping students and faculty in the department of music. Saturday afternoon the department will present its 44th annual Holiday Festival of Music, “Of Holly and Ivy,” at 3 p.m. in Stephens Auditorium.

“It’s a nice break from studying ,and it gets people fired up for the holiday season,” said director of bands Michael Golemo. “It appeals to five-year-olds and 85-year-olds and everyone in between.”

The festivities will include the ISU Symphony Orchestra, two ISU choral groups, the ISU Brass Choir, a double reed quartet, the Skyline Brass professionals and a partridge in a pear tree.

The medley of ensembles will treat the Stephens crowd to traditional Christmas carols as well as some celebratory multicultural pieces.

Associate professor Kevin Schilling arranged all three selections for the double reed quartet which features two oboes and two English horns.

“I have given each traditional arrangement a different variation,” Schilling said. “The double reeds are appropriate [for ‘We Three Kings’] because the sound invokes thoughts of the Arabian kings.”

The ISU Brass Choir will also contribute its warm tones to the 90-minute program.

“During ‘Jingle Bells’ we’ll have the audience get out their car keys and jingle along,” Golemo said.

He notes that the Skyline Brass, a professional group, will play the second of three movements in “Dance Suite,” by Renaissance composer Susato.

“The concert is a smorgasbord of everything, almost like a variety type concert,” he added.

One of the main dishes of the musical feast is the University Chorus, which put in five weeks of intense work for the Holiday Festival.

“In the past, the University Chorus has been a supporting choir,” said Robert Molison, director of choral activities. “This year, they were chosen to display the male and female choirs and the mixed choir. Most importantly, they were chosen to showcase the progress this choir has made.”

All together, the mostly freshmen ensemble will perform eight traditional arrangements as well as a unique “Deck the Halls” piece arranged by ISU graduate Geoffrey Wilcken.

After graduating from ISU, Wilcken earned his master’s degree from Kansas University and now arranges pieces for various musical groups.

“This is the first time we’ve done a major piece by an ISU student, most pieces are by major composers,” Molison said. “He is one of our most talented and versatile students. He has done the arrangement for the combined orchestra and choir.”

The ISU Chamber Singers, a 25-member mixed choir, will add international flavor to the holiday performance by singing an up-tempo Latin piece titled “Gaudete” as well as “Stille Nacht,” a German version of “Silent Night.” They will conclude their portion of the performance with “Cobet den Herrn alle Heiden” by J.S. Bach, which means “Praise the Lord all Nations.”

Jeffrey Prater, director of the ISU Chamber Singers said, “[The Bach] is a very joyful piece that connects with a number of different religion’s traditions at holiday time.”

The ISU Symphony Orchestra, the largest group to perform, will act as the backbone for the performance. Besides playing a few numbers with the University Chorus throughout the afternoon, the orchestra will play “Die Natali” by Samuel Barber.

“[Die Natali] is a medley of familiar Christmas tunes presented with unique tone colors and challenging rhythms,” said orchestra director Mark Laycock .