NORTHWOOD — Every mid-December the Northwood-Kensett Elementary School auditorium seats become filled with people to see the annual holiday concert for students in seventh through 12th grades.

Tonight is the night for this annual event, and everyone is welcome to attend.

“It’s one of our best-attended concerts,” band director Krista Reeder said. “We are drawing from seventh-12th grade families, plus the community. So we have a really nice turnout for this concert.”

Reeder is the band director at the school for grades five through 12. Reeder is joined on this concert by Nikkole Koenig. Koenig is the vocal instructor for kindergarten through 12th grade.

“We love to share our music with the community,” Reeder said.

According to Reeder, there will be anywhere from 100 to 125 students performing throughout the night.

This year’s theme is “Celebrate” and they will play a wide variety of music for the families and community members in attendance.

“They will be playing some older music as well as some newer songs,” Reeder said. “We will also be playing some secular and sacred music too.”

The concert will utilize all aspects of the music department to put on this great celebration.

“Our junior high band, junior high choir, chamber band, high school choir and high school band will all perform in the concert,” Reeder said.

The junior high band will start it off with three songs. After the band is done, the junior high choir will hit the stage for three songs of their own. Up next, the chamber choir will sing a song. The high school choir will get in four songs and then the high school band will finish the student portion of the show with three more songs.

As always, they will close the concert with the hallelujah chorus.

“During the hallelujah chorus, we invite any alumni or other singers to join us. They are all invited to come forward and sing,” Reeder said.

Reeder also added that prior to the start of the concert small ensembles from the high school band will be playing a prelude which will consist of six selections.

The holiday concert starts at 7 p.m. and is held in the elementary auditorium. According to Reeder, the concert should be about one hour and 15 minutes long.