Eastern’s music groups will join together Sunday to sing the joys of the holiday season, and the audience will be given a chance to participate in the fun as well.

Two performance concerts, called the “Holiday Concert,” will be conducted on Sunday, one at 3 p.m. and one at 7 p.m., in the Dvorak Concert Hall of the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

This is Eastern’s first holiday concert ever to incorporate the Eastern Symphony Orchestra, members of the Faculty Eastern Brass, the University Mixed Chorus and Concert Choir, under the direction of Richard Rossi, and the Women’s Chorus, under the direction of Patricia Poulter, Rossi said.

Some of the concert’s highlights include Handel’s “Messiah,” John Rutter’s “Gloria” and Bizet’s “Farandole” (March of the Magi). In addition, Vaughan Williams’s “Fantasia on Christmas Carols,” featuring baritone soloist and University of Illinois graduate Richard Todd Payne and “Fantasia on Greensleeves,” with flutists Brian Luce and Lisa Wyatt, will be performed.

“I chose these pieces because they are very challenging,” Rossi said. “These pieces all reflect an English tradition, which gives them a different type of character.”

The Women’s Chorus will perform “Seven Joys of Christmas,” arranged by Kirke Mecham and featuring Julia Jamieson on harp.

“This piece features seven familiar carols from around the world,” Poulter said. “It’s something that the audience will recognize, and it is beautifully written for women’s voices.”

The audience will be able to participate in the concert as well.

“They will have the opportunity to sing some traditional Christmas carols, such as ‘Silent Night’ and ‘O Come All Ye Faithful,'” Rossi said. “This will give the audience a fun opportunity to participate in the festivities.”

Tickets will be available at the door at $5 for students and $7 for general admission. For advance tickets or more information, call 581-3010.