Celebrate the Holidays with the VSO

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra will present of three Holiday Pops and five Brass Quintet and Counterpoint concerts in December, bringing tidings of joy to communities around the state.

    The VSO Chorus joins the Orchestra to ring in the season, with Robert De Cormier and Dawn Willis conducting.  The program includes a Swedish carol, selections from Messiah, pieces that highlight brass and percussion, a lighthearted new work by a teenage composer, two sleigh rides, a sing-along, wonderful De Cormier arrangements, and a salute to Woody Guthrie.

     The teenage composer, Jacob Morton-Black, is a senior at Colchester High School and takes music courses at the University of Vermont .  He has won numerous awards for his compositions.  In addition to composing, he plays the French horn, and performs with the Vermont Youth Orchestra, the University of Vermont Orchestra and the University of Vermont Wind Ensemble .  Morton-Black is also a member of the VYO Brass Quartet and co-founded the Colchester Community Concert Band.  The VSO will premiere his composition “Danse Slav et Valse.”

    Holiday Pops performances are Friday, December 7, 7:30 pm at the Barre Opera House; Saturday, December 8, 7:30 pm at the Flynn Center in Burlington ;  and Sunday, December 9, 3:00 pm at the Paramount Theatre in Rutland (the first of the three-concert Sunday Matinee Series.)

      The VSO Brass Quintet and Counterpoint concerts combine brilliant brass and shining voices in intimate village settings.  Counterpoint’s new director, Nathaniel G. Lew, has collaborated with the VSO Brass Quintet to choose a festive program that ranges from the medieval to the modern and includes Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival, the Canadian Brass’s bravura arrangement of The Twelve Days of Christmas, Bizet’s March of the Kings, and—of course—some traditional carols.

    VSO Brass Quintet and Counterpoint performances are Thursday, December 13, 7:30 pm, Warren United Church, Warren;  Friday, December 14, 7:30 pm, Foeger Ballroom at Jay Peak Resort, Jay;  Saturday, December 15, 5:00 pm, The White Church, Grafton;  Sunday, December 16, 4:00 pm, First Congregational Church, Manchester;  and Monday, December 17, 7:00 pm, Congregational Church, Brandon.

     Again this year, holiday audiences may also enjoy VSO music at home, on CD.  The
“Christmas in Vermont ,” CD featuring the VSO Brass Quintet and Counterpoint, presents  a captivating blend of rarely heard gems and seasonal favorites.    The VSO’s first commercial orchestral CD, “Triple Doubles,” featuring three double concertos written for violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson, is also available.  Both recordings will be sold at these concerts, through the VSO office, and on the VSO website.

     Join the VSO for festive celebrations you’ll remember throughout the holiday season. For tickets or additional information, please call (800) VSO-9293, ext. 10, or visit www.vso.org.