The sounds of holiday cheer will fill the Thomasville Civic Center theater Monday, Dec. 14, when the Mobile Symphony Orchestra returns to Thomasville.

Less than a year ago, the Mobile Symphony Orchestra made its first overnight tour outside of Mobile to Thomasville. The February concert was free and the orchestra played to a packed and appreciative house.

MSO conductor Scott Speck said he and his musicians "had a blast" performing in Thomasville. Apparently those were more than just words as the orchestra prepares to return to Thomasville and perform what the orchestra is calling a "Yuletide Spectacular."

Tickets in the 500-seat Bedsole Auditorium have already been selling briskly, with about 75 seats left available, city employees said. While the previous concert was funded in part through grants and was free to anyone who could attend, tickets for the December concert are priced at $20 each. Mayor Sheldon Day has expressed his excitement that the orchestra is coming back to Thomasville. The concert is being sponsored by First United Security Bank, Clarke-Mobile Gas and Merchants Capital.

The program has not be finalized, but it is expected to include selections from The Polar Express, The Nutcracker, Joy to the World Fanfare, the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and more.

Grafton Beck, music director of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra will be serving as the guest conductor. Beck's schedule as guest conductor has included appearances with over thirty American orchestras including the Milwaukee Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, the New World Symphony, the New Mexico Symphony, the Delaware Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, the Arkansas Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Dayton Philharmonic, the Sacramento Symphony, and the Florida Orchestra.