Holiday Concert
Join the Middlesex Concert Band for our annual Holiday Concert, a cherished tradition that brings the community together to celebrate the season. We will be performing at the Galvin Middleschool Auditorium on Sunday, December 15 at 3:00pm. This year, we’re excited to feature vocalist April Foley, who will join us in performing a selection of holiday classics from the 50s and audience favorites.
Be sure to stop by our cookie sale for a variety of sweet treats to enjoy or take home. Whether you’re a long-time attendee or joining us for the first time, this concert is a great way to share the holiday spirit with family and friends.
Time:
December 15th, 3:00 PM
Location:
Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium
Galvin Middle School
525 Main St
Wakefield, MA 01880
Music to be Performed: (listed in concert order)
Christmas Exhilaration – Sean O’Loughlin
Soaring bell tones and crisp 6/8 rhythms create festive fanfares that are wrapped around fragments of classic holiday tunes. An uplifting addition to your seasonal repertoire! (source)
Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring – J. S. Bach arr Leidzen
Erik Leidzen first transcribed this famous chorale prelude for the famed Goldman Band of New York City. Carl Fischer, Inc., published this pace-setting arrangement for wind band within months of its 1936 premiere in Central Park. It has long been hailed as a model of elegant, economical wind band scoring in which the arranger masterfully handles the many colors of the modern concert band. Leidzen completed the brass band version in the early 1950’s as part of a larger series of Bach transcriptions written either for the New York Staff Band or for the Star Lake Band at Star Lake Musicamp. (source)
Christmas Music for Winds – adapted and arranged by John Cacavas
With a touch of fanfare, followed by substantial thematic material, this uplifting new work by composer John Cacavas is a multi-use program choice, whether as an opener, to follow a quiet work, or the vehicle to bring your concert to a dynamic close. The piece sounds much more difficult than it plays. Guaranteed high audience impact! (source)
Believe from the Polar Express – Alan Silvestry and Glen Ballard/arr. Mark Hayes – Soloist April Foley
This fantastic arrangement takes this ballad from “The Polar Express” to a new level! Originally recorded by Josh Groban, the song has become a standard in the holiday repertoire. “Children sleeping, snow is softly falling. Dreams are calling, like bells in the distance…” (source)
Three Moods of Hannukah – Arranged by Lennie Niehaus
Bringing together a melodic mix of Hanukkah tunes, Lennie Niehaus skillfully arranged Hanukkah, O Hanukkah, Maoz Tzur and Mi Y’Malel to create his piece Three Moods of Hanukkah. With its upbeat and melodic lines, this piece truly depicts the spirit and meaning of the Festival of Lights and the holiday season. We hope you enjoy this fun and delightful mix of holiday tunes! (source)
Mary’s Boy Child – Jester Hairston, arr. Philip Sparke
Mary’s Boy Child is a 1956 Christmas song, written by Jester Hairston. It is widely performed as a Christmas carol. Walter Schumann, at the time conducting Schumann’s Hollywood Choir, asked Hairston to write a new Christmas song for his choir. Hairston remembered the calypso rhythm from his 1956 birthday song He Pone and Chocolate Tea, and he wrote new lyrics for it.
Harry Belafonte heard the song being performed by the choir and sought permission to record it. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1957, and has since sold over 1.19 million copies there. (source)
Night Before Christmas – Randol Alan Bass/Poem by Clement Clarke Moore – April Foley, narrator
This setting of the famous Christmas poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (attributed to Clement Clarke Moore but, in actuality, probably written by an Englishman, Major Henry Livingston, Jr.) was commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra. The first performance of the work took place in that city during the Orchestra’s Holiday concerts in 1988, under the baton of Robert Page.
The piece is cinematically conceived, and each poetic image of the narration is imaginatively colored in such a way that audiences can clearly visualize the happenings from passage to passage. Some rehearsal is required to properly align a live performance of the narration, in such a way that the orchestral framing is synchronized moment-by-moment with the text of the poem.
( dur: 7” ) (source)
A Contemporary Christmas – arr. Les Taylor
Les Taylor (b. 1944, Logansport, Ind.) is an American composer, arranger and publisher.
This arrangement includes Wonderful Christmas, Feliz Navidad, This One’s for the Children, and Jingle Bell Rock. Mr. Taylor received his formal training at Ball State University and has remained active as a teacher, clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor for over 30 years. His arrangements and compositions have been premiered at the Music Educators National Conference, College Band Director’s National Association, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, and on the Christmas and Easter Walt Disney World TV specials. (source)
Minor Alterations (Christmas through the Looking Glass) – David Lovrien
Looking for something REALLY different for this year’s Christmas concert? Here’s a game of holiday hide-and-seek for your audience! Minor Alterations: Christmas Through the Looking Glass is a medley of favorite Christmas tunes, transposed from major to minor keys then disguised, layered and morphed even more. From the ominous Deck the Halls at the start to the final, frenzied Nutcracker Suite finale, each tune is lovingly twisted into something new and inventive. (source)
Christmas from the 50’s – arr. Douglas Wagner
Four holiday pop standards from the 1950s are featured in this fun-filled and entertaining holiday medley. Featured tunes are: Jingle Bell Rock; Frosty the Snowman; The Christmas Waltz and (There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays. Take a stroll down memory lane with this glistening seasonal feature! (source)
Christmas Sing-Along – David Lovrien
Arranged by David Lovrien for the Dallas Wind Symphony’s annual Christmas concerts, this audience sing-along medley features the carols Angels We Have Heard on High, Away In A Manger, I Saw Three Ships and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. These well-known but less-often heard carols make this a perfect complement to traditional favorites such as Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival. (source)
Sleigh Ride – Leroy Anderson
“Sleigh Ride” is a light orchestra standard composed by Leroy Anderson. He formed the idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and finished it in February 1948. Its first performance was by the Boston Pops Orchestra, with Arthur Fiedler conducting, on May 4, 1948.[1]
The original recordings were instrumental versions: it was first recorded in 1949 by Fiedler and the Boston Pops.[2] As a 45 rpm version issued on red vinyl, “Sleigh Ride” was a hit record on RCA Victor Red Seal, and has become one of the orchestra’s most well-known works. The Pops have recorded the piece numerous times, with Fiedler as well as John Williams, their conductor from 1979 to 1995, and Keith Lockhart, their current conductor.
The lyrics, about riding in a sleigh and other wintertime activities, were written by Mitchell Parish in 1950.[3] Anderson also made arrangements for wind band and piano.[4][5]
The Ronettes recorded a cover of “Sleigh Ride” in 1963 for Phil Spector‘s A Christmas Gift for You, which was commercially successful in the United States and featured in various media. The song has since been associated with the Christmas and holiday season. (source)