For the first time ever, Mount St. Mary Academy’s Gemtones and St. Mary’s School for the Deaf students will celebrate the holiday season by singing and signing together.
On Thursday, the Gemtones, Mount St. Mary’s a cappella and choral group, and St. Mary’s students will team up to perform Christmas and holiday songs using both voice and American Sign Language. The performance will be part of M&T Bank’s annual Holiday Music Under the Dome series and will take place at noon in the atrium of the M&T Bank Fountain Plaza Branch, 575 Main St., Buffalo.
After a selection of prepared pieces, the group will transition into a time of caroling, inviting guests and passersby to join them in the warmth of holiday cheer. According to Mount St. Mary Academy, this is the first time the two schools have collaborated on a performance project of this kind.
Along with the Holiday Music Under the Dome performance, the Gemtones have a handful of other Christmas-related performances scheduled for December. The upcoming shows include a short concert on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at Schofield Residence, 3333 Elmwood Ave., Kenmore; a performance during Mount St. Mary’s annual Christmas event for alumnae on Thursday, Dec. 12; and a performance during Mount St. Mary’s annual Christmas concert on Tuesday, Dec. 17. The Christmas concert will also feature the rest of the high school’s fine arts groups, who will celebrate the holiday season through their respective creative outlets.