After a one-year hiatus, the Northwest Civic Orchestra will again mark the holiday season with an evening of slides, beautiful decorations, tasty goodies, and Christmas music. 鈥淢aking Spirits Bright鈥� will be presented on Saturday, December 2, at 7:00 pm in the Nelson Performing Arts Auditorium on the 皇家华人 campus.
General Admission is $12.00, seniors 62 and up are $8.00, and students and children are admitted free of charge. Enjoy Powell鈥檚 annual 鈥淐hristmas Fest鈥� and the lighted parade, then make your way to campus and celebrate with the Northwest Civic Orchestra.
The concert opens with 鈥淎 Most Wonderful Christmas鈥�, a delightful medley of 鈥淲inter Wonderland鈥�, 鈥淚鈥檒l be Home for Christmas鈥�, 鈥淪anta Claus is Comin鈥� to Town鈥�, 鈥淗ave Yourself a Merry Little Christmas鈥� and the rousing, 鈥淚t鈥檚 the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!鈥�
Irving Berlin鈥檚 鈥淲hite Christmas鈥� is up next on the program, followed by a renaissance arrangement of 鈥淕od Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen鈥�, made famous by Mannheim Steamroller.
Adolphe Charles Adam wrote the next selection on the program, the much-loved and widely recorded 鈥淥 Holy Night鈥� (Cantique de Noel). The orchestra then performs music from the movie, Frozen, including the favorite 鈥淟et it Go!鈥�.
The familiar sing-along concludes the first half of the program, with the twist that it will also be a 鈥減lay-in鈥�, as several students of orchestra members will join the orchestra for these selections!
The orchestra opens the second half with 鈥淐hristmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24鈥�, an arrangement of 鈥淕od Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen鈥� and 鈥淐arol of the Bells鈥�, first found on the heavy metal band Savatage鈥檚 album, 鈥淒ead Winter Dead鈥�. The piece was released by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra鈥� and describes a lone cellist playing in war-torn Sarajevo.
鈥淎round the World at Christmas Time鈥�, the orchestra鈥檚 next selection, features 鈥淥 Tannenbaum鈥� (Germany), 鈥淚nfant Holy, Infant Lowly鈥� (Poland), 鈥淲hat Child is This鈥� (Great Britain), 鈥淥 Sanctissima鈥� (believed to be Italy), 鈥淭he Hanukkah Song鈥� (the Middle-East), 鈥淲hence Comes this Rush of Wings鈥� (France) and finally the USA鈥檚 鈥淕o Tell it On the Mountain鈥�.
Leroy Anderson鈥檚 鈥淪leigh Ride鈥� is followed by a shift in mood, as the string section performs Corelli鈥檚 Concerto Grosso Op 6, No. 8, his 鈥淐hristmas Concerto.鈥� The piece calls for two solo violins, string orchestra and continuo (a continuous bass line). It was meant to be performed in a church, though not as part of the liturgy and the final movement, and a 鈥淧astorale鈥� may have been depicting the shepherds who visited the manger in the Christmas story.
The concert concludes with more contrasting pieces, first 鈥淪tille Nacht鈥� (also made famous by Mannheim Steamroller) and finally Handel鈥檚 鈥淗allelujah Chorus.鈥�
The orchestra is conducted by Maurine Akin.