The Ironton Council for the Arts presents its annual Christmas concert featuring The Greater Huntington Symphonic Band, directed by Tommy Thompson, at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the Ironton High School Auditorium.

Admission is $10 and tickets may be purchased at the door. Ohio University students are admitted free with ID. Donations to support the purchase of band music will also be accepted.

Saturday’s concert will feature several popular holiday favorites, including Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride (made popular by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops); an arrangement of Bell Carol (inspired by the vocal arrangement currently sung by Pentatonix); Minor Alterations (or Christmas Through the Looking Glass, which references Lewis Carroll’s famous sequel to Alice in Wonderland); Greensleeves (also known as What Child is This?); Canadian Brass Christmas Suite; Runaway Sleigh, and others.

The symphonic band currently consists of approximately 80 members performing on various wind, brass, and percussion instruments. They typically perform four concerts per year throughout the Tri-State including a spring concert, a Fourth of July concert at Barboursville City Park, a fall concert at Paul T. Billups Park in Ceredo, and a Christmas concert.

The Greater Huntington Symphonic Band has existed for decades under several different names and conductors, but came together in its present form in 1964 with Homer Oschenhirt serving as director. At that time the band was housed in the old Stella Fuller Building in Huntington and gave concerts at the Stella Fuller Playground.

The ensemble, directed by Tommy  Thompson since 1990, draws its membership from the greater Tri-State area, including Huntington, Charleston, Ashland, Ironton and Russell-Flatwoods. It is a non-profit organization funded solely by donations to purchase music.

Membership is open to anyone who has basic music reading and musicianship skills and loves to play band music.

Current members range in age from teens to octogenarians and represent all walks of life including students, retirees, and working professionals. The band is currently in need of trombones, clarinets, and percussion.

Rehearsals are 7 p.m. Thursday nights at in the Vinson Middle School band room in Spring Valley.