A Holiday Celebration – December 10, 2024 - LaGrange Symphony Orchestra

LaGrange Symphony Orchestra December 2024

News Review/Comments December 14, 2024

A Festive Gathering

Callaway Auditorium was filled with joy and fellowship as the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra’s (LSO) audience was brimming with holiday spirit – and the concert hadn’t even begun! Smiling faces and happy greetings were everywhere. The colorful and festive concert program was matched in the colorful attire throughout the audience.

The Concert

The auditorium was at capacity and the stage was filled as well with a set of large risers behind the orchestra awaiting the choir. LSO Board President, Brandon Adams, welcomed everyone and introduced the current LSO sponsors. He then opened the December concert of the LSO with acting concertmaster Callie Hammond, under the direction of Maestro, Richard Prior.

Leroy Anderson

First on the program were two pieces by Leroy Anderson that epitomize the holiday season – Sleigh Ride and Bugler’s Holiday. Both were beautifully played and a joy for the audience.

Sleigh Ride

Visions of snow and a wonderful outing in a horse-drawn sleigh could not have been more perfect for this concert’s opening. The clip-clop sound of the horse’s hooves in Sleigh Ride is made by the percussionist on wooden temple blocks. The crack of the whip is made with a wooden slapstick, which sounds just like an actual whip (but is much safer and takes up less room).

Both of those instruments are in this photo.

Holiday Celebration — Temple blocks are in the mid background, and the slapstick is sitting just below the music stand.

This photo shows the slapstick in action!

Bugler’s Holiday

Bugler’s Holiday is a showy virtuoso piece which showcases a trio of trumpeters. It is cheerful, happy, and runs at a fast pace. This was a great performance to witness! It sounded like a serious workout for the musicians, but the LSO met the challenge smoothly and fluidly.

While it is often played with Fourth of July celebrations, the meter and syncopation of Bugler’s Holiday paired well with Sleigh Ride and so was an excellent choice. Performed perfectly by the LSO, the audience loved it.

Tchaikovsky’s NUTCRACKER

Next were the Overture and Dances from the Nutcracker Suite. If you weren’t already in a holiday mood, this section certainly did the trick. The audience instantly recognized and loved each one of the excerpts with the changes in color and landscape. The LSO performance was terrific. How fun it was to listen for the instruments that were uniquely vital to this piece. They were all wonderful, especially the interplay of the flutes in the Dance of the Reed Flutes, the magical harp in Waltz of the Flowers, and the bass clarinet and celesta in Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy. Oh, but there are so many great moments I couldn’t possibly list them all.

Choir Entrance

It was time for the Callaway Cavalier’s singers to take the stage. Wow! There were an impressive number of choir members. The Cavalier’s Chorus is directed by Samantha Cotton. This night marked their very first performance with the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra.

Silent Night

This section began with an arrangement of Silent Night that started very gently. A soft and gentle sound can be difficult to achieve with such a large number of singers especially at the beginning of a piece because you do not have a reference volume to reduce from. This piece was performed with sweetness and care starting quietly and meditatively, then growing to a glorifying volume and then back again to gentleness. This was a very touching performance. Even the Maestro was moved. The audience responded with an explosion of applause.

Callaway Cavalier's Chorus with the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra

Believe

Next was Believe from the movie Polar Express. The audience was brilliantly surprised with the choir’s two soloists! They were Makinley Hester and Keilin Echols, and both were exceptional. The lyrics were beautiful as well, and included stanzas like, “children sleeping, snow softly falling, dreams calling, like bells in the distance…”. Believe is a magical holiday hit. The audience absolutely loved the Callaway Cavalier’s rendition of it with the LSO.

Sing We Now of Christmas

Maestro Prior turned the podium over to Samantha Cotton, director of the Callaway Cavalier’s Chorus, to conduct the next piece. Kyle Pederson’s adaptation of Sing We Now of Christmas was arranged with an introspective tempo. This transformed the traditional tune and gave it a more meditative and dreamy warmth. This version was unexpected and new, like a wonderful Christmas present. It was simply oboe, piano, and choir. The tone of the choir was beautifully blended and silky. With words like, “hearts in expectation, in stillness waits the world in silent reverie longing for the birth of love and mercy”, this rendition connected with our hearts.

Christmastime

The final song, before the audience got involved with a sing-a-long, was Christmastime. This was a celebratory moment with energy and joy. Complete with chimes, this song announced the holiday season with cheerful delight. This was an audible pleasure.

The first section of this concert was sprightly and spirited. The second part of the program was more reflective and revering. This third part with Christmastime and the audience sing-a-long, proclaimed a joyful noise! A blissful ending to a great concert.

Standing ovation at the end of the Holiday Celebration concert with the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra and the Callaway Cavalier's Chorus.

Looking Forward – Spring 2025

The Youth Orchestra’s Spring Concert is on March 18, 2025

The LaGrange Symphony Orchestra’s Joy of ITALY concert is on March 25, 2025

The LaGrange Symphony Orchestra’s Music of the Night concert is on April 29, 2025

Previous concerts in this series:

If you would like to read a review of “COMPOSED & COLLECTED” which was the second concert in the 2024/2025 season, you can access it HERE. A short video sample from that concert can be found HERE.

If you would like to read a review of “AMERICAN FANFARE” which was the first concert in the 2024/2025 season, you can access it HERE. A short video sample from that concert can be found HERE.