The holiday choir concert is now split into two performances after overcrowding became a safety issue during last year’s show.

“I really didn’t have a choice; I knew something needed to be done. There was no way we could proceed in the way we were going for the safety of the audience,” Nick Juknelis, choir director for Men’s Choir, Cadet Choir, Concert Choir, and Bare Voices, said. “[Attendance] just got too big. There were probably a thousand people in a 679 seat auditorium.”

There were three options as to what could be done to solve the problem, according to Juknelis. The choir could host two concerts, have the choir at a different, larger location, or limit the number of people that could attend.

“To limit the number of tickets a family could get isn’t really fair, and to go to another location would ultimately involve some sort of financial aspect,” Juknelis said. “We would have to pay to rent something, and since we don’t charge admission to our concerts, we do not have the income to do that. The obvious solution was to do the concert more than once.”

The attendees of today’s concert have the choice between a 6 and 8pm concert. Students were issued up to four tickets at the show of their friend’s and family’s choosing. However, 40 percent of the seats in the Performing Arts Center are open for general seating at each show.

Choir members will also take part in an in-school field trip during periods 3, 4, and 5 on Friday, December 13. This is a new change to accompany the earlier 6pm show time, as all-choir rehearsal in previous years has taken place the evening of the concert.

“The field trip allows us to rehearse together and then go home for a little to get some dinner and recuperate before the big night,” Erin Leahy, Concert Choir spirit leader, said.

Juknelis estimates the concert will last 70 minutes. Concert Choir, Women’s Chorale, Treble Choir, Men’s Chorale, and Cadet Choir will all be performing.

“We have been working on the songs for months, and if any community members want to hear a good holiday concert, they should definitely come out,” Leahy said. “They won’t be disappointed.”