On the Road with the Boston Pops
Northeast Tour: December 5 to 19
By: Ariel Petrova - Nov 16, 2009
The series continues the following weekend with performances at Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, in Massachusetts on December 12 and the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire on December 13. The series concludes with performances at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on December 17 and the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, on December 19. These Boston Pops holiday concerts coincide with their holiday series at Symphony Hall in Boston, which runs this year from December 9 to 27.
Mr. Lockhart will lead "America's Orchestra," joined by the young a cappella group the Swingle Singers, in a host of familiar holiday favorites such as the Pops' signature "Sleigh Ride," the traditional "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and the Pops' show-stopping new arrangement, "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Additionally, each family-friendly evening of classic seasonal favorites concludes with a visit from Santa and a holiday sing-along featuring "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Let It Snow," "The Christmas Song," "Winter Wonderland," and "Jingle Bells."
The Boston Pops recently released their popular arrangement of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" for download at www.BostonPops.org/digital
.The piece is available in three formats: standard MP3 (320 kb/sec) for $3.99; AIFF hi definition stereo for $4.99; and WMA Windows Media hi-definition for $4.99. The new arrangement "The Twelve Days of Christmas" by Broadway composer and arranger David Chase, was recorded live at Symphony Hall during the 2008 Holiday Pops season and features the Boston Pops Orchestra and Tanglewood Festival chorus under the direction of Keith Lockhart.
Boston Pops Holiday concerts began in 1974 with a three-concert series at Symphony Hall. Since then, public demand for the performances has increased dramatically, and this holiday season the Boston Pops will offer 32 concerts at Symphony Hall, in addition to its tour performances.
KEITH LOCKHART
Keith Lockhart became the twentieth conductor of the Boston Pops in 1995, adding his artistic vision to the Pops tradition established by his predecessors John Williams and Arthur Fiedler. Mr. Lockhart has worked with a wide array of established artists from virtually every corner of the entertainment world, while also promoting programs that focus on talented young musicians from the Tanglewood Music Center, Boston Conservatory, and Berklee College of Music. Now in his fifteenth season, he has conducted more than 1,000 Boston Pops concerts and introduced the innovative JazzFest and EdgeFest series, which feature the Pops performing with prominent jazz and indie artists.
Mr. Lockhart has also introduced concert performances of full-length Broadway shows, including Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel and Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, and the PopSearch and High School Sing-Off vocal competitions open to the general public. Under his leadership, the Boston Pops has commissioned several new works and dozens of new arrangements. Keith Lockhart is loved by audiences far and wide for his inimitable style, expressed not only through his consummate music-making, but also by his unique ability to speak directly to the audience about the music to which he is so passionately committed.
Mr. Lockhart and the Boston Pops have released four self-produced recordings—Sleigh Ride, America, Oscar & Tony, and, most recently, The Red Sox Album. They have also recorded eight albums with RCA Victor—Runnin' Wild: The Boston Pops Play Glenn Miller, American Visions, the Grammy-nominated The Celtic Album, Holiday Pops, A Splash of Pops, Encore!, the Latin Grammy-nominated The Latin Album, and My Favorite Things: A Richard Rodgers Celebration. Keith Lockhart has made 66 television shows with the Boston Pops, most recently leading a concert featuring jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, and special guests Sting, John Mayer, and Steven Tyler, which was taped for national broadcast on PBS in March 2009 and subsequently released on DVD and CD. The annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is broadcast nationally on CBS Television.
Mr. Lockhart has also led the Boston Pops in many Holiday Pops telecasts, as well as 38 new programs for Evening at Pops (1970–2004). Under his direction, the Boston Pops has presented 33 national tours, performed at Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall, and brought the music of "America's Orchestra" overseas in four tours of Japan and Korea. Mr. Lockhart has also led the Boston Pops in performances at several major sports events, including game two of the 2008 NBA playoffs, the 2004 NFL Season Kickoff television special, and the pre-game show of Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Keith Lockhart began his musical studies with piano lessons at the age of seven.
He holds degrees from Furman University in Greenville, S.C., and Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and has previously served as associate conductor of both the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops orchestras. In addition to guest conducting appearances in the United States and abroad, Mr. Lockhart also holds the titles of artistic advisor and principal conductor of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. As music director of the Utah Symphony since 1998, Mr. Lockhart led that orchestra at the 2002 Olympic Games; he concluded his tenure there after the 2008-09 season.
SWINGLE SINGERS
The Swingle Singers are an international a cappella phenomenon. For over four decades, the unmistakable sound of "Swingle singing" has defined the art form: virtuosic vocal agility and blend demonstrated by their signature close-microphone technique, combined with high-level entertainment that has thrilled audiences around the globe. The latest lineup of young and talented voices represents the group's transformation from pioneering classical/jazz crossover artists to contemporary vocal super-group. Their repertoire encompasses classical, jazz, Latin, pop and rock, all accompanied by their own vocal rhythm section. The Swingle Singers have performed all across the UK, America, Asia, and virtually every country in Europe, have released over 50 recordings, and have won five Grammy Awards.
All programs and artists are subject to change. Link to the Boston Pops.
. For further information, call the Boston Pops at 617-266-1492.
BOSTON POPS 2009 NEW ENGLAND HOLIDAY TOUR ITINERARY
December 5
Storrs, Connecticut
Jorgenson Center for the Performing Arts
8:00 p.m.
December 6
Brookville, New York
Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
2:00 p.m.
December 6
Newark, New Jersey
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
7:00 p.m.
December 12
December 13
December 17
December 19
Lowell, Massachusetts
Manchester, New Hampshire
Uncasville, Connecticut
Providence, Rhode Island
Lowell Memorial Auditorium
Verizon Wireless Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena
Dunkin' Donuts Center
7:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
BOSTON POPS 2009 HOLIDAY POPS TOUR
All programs and artists subject to change
THE BOSTON POPS ESPLANADE ORCHESTRA
KEITH LOCKHART, Conductor
Silent Night arr. Rathbone
SWINGLE SINGERS
Christmas Canticles arr. O'Loughlin
PRESENTING THE SWINGLE SINGERS
Joanna Goldsmith, Sara Brimer, soprano; Clare Wheeler, Lucy Bailey, alto
Richard Eteson, Christopher Jay, tenor; Kevin Fox, Tobias Hug, bass
Concerto Grosso arr. Eteson
Away in a Manger arr. Meinir/orch. Sebesky
Deck the Halls/What Child Is This? arr. Swingle/orch. Sebesky
Tomorrow is My Dancing Day Hollenbeck
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring Bach
Christmas Anthology arr. Richardson
Gloria in the Highest - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas –
O Come, O Come Emmanuel - For Onto Us a Child is Born
INTERMISSION
Joy! Sebesky
Carol Medley arr. Rathbone
Deck the Halls – I Saw Three Ships – We Wish You a Merry Christmas –
The Holly and the Ivy – The First Noel – Past Three O'Clock
The Twelve Days of Christmas arr. Chase
SWINGLE SINGERS
Sleigh Ride Anderson
A Visit from St. Nicholas ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) Text by Clement C. Moore
TBD, narrator
Santa Medley arr. Meader
The Man with the Bag – Santa Baby – Santa Claus is Coming to Town
SWINGLE SINGERS
A Merry Little Sing-Along arr. Reisman
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Have Yourself a Merry
Little Christmas - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! –
Winter Wonderland - Jingle Bells
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