It’s an event that has touched lives of Augustans for decades, and it returns Saturday, Dec. 13.
“‘Behold the Star’ has become so much more than a Christmas concert to me; it’s a tradition that has shaped my life for the past 11 years. The people I sing with have truly become family, and the warmth, support, and joy we share are what make this experience so special,“ said Deja Thomas, Creative Impressions alumna, in a news release, about “Behold the Star,” which will be at 7 p.m. at the Augusta University Grover C. Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre. For tickets, go here.
The Christmas program wraps musical genres such as classical, gospel, jazz and pop with elements of dance and theatre.
It’s a jam-packed, high-energy, festive show that brings in the spirit of the holidays. It also serves as a homecoming for alumni of this organization to reminisce with their peers and to bond with current students,” the news release said.
Founded in 1996, Creative Impressions is a youth vocal ensemble. In its history more than 900 community young people have participated in “quality choral, cultural and civic experiences,” according to the Creative Impressions website. “Through weekly sessions, members receive instruction in music theory, sight-singing, performance technique and other fundamentals in the music discipline, while providing small-group mentorship.”
Led by Trey McLaughlin, a Creative Impressions alumnus, the group currently has 48 members.
“Behold the Star” is an important fundraiser for the organization, helping fund programming, student scholarships and College Cultural Expansion tour-related costs.
Each year, group members make a three-to-five-day college scholarship and performance tour during spring break, which allows students to “engage in various cultural experiences and sites, perform for new audiences, visit college campuses and attend collegiate-level choral programs.”
That tour has led to performances at venues such as the Smithsonian and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Students have been awarded over $500,000 in scholarships as a result of this tour, the website said.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
