The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra (PSO) will be celebrating the holiday season accompanied by the voices of a Juno award-winning choral ensemble during “Season of Lights” at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 14th at Emmanuel United Church in Peterborough.
For its annual family holiday concert, the PSO will be joined by the Elmer Iseler Singers to perform a selection of traditional holiday favourites for orchestra and choir.
“Having a chance to perform with the Elmer Iseler Singers is very special for us,” the PSO’s music director and conductor Michael Newnham tells kawarthaNOW.
“This ensemble, under the artistic direction of Lydia Adams, has long been one of Canada’s top chamber choirs. With them, we will be performing a very wide range of music suitable and popular for the Christmas holiday season, anywhere from the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, to popular holiday songs, arrangements, and even some Leroy Anderson.”
Founded by the late Dr. Elmer Iseler in 1979, the Elmer Iseler Singers is a 20-voice professional choral ensemble that regularly tours across Canada engaging community singers and conductors of all ages through workshops and concert performances.
Along with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), the choir received both a Grammy nomination and a Juno award in 2019 for its CD Vaughan Williams: Orchestral Works with the TSO, a recording of a performance conducted by TSO music director Peter Oundjian.
The Elmer Iseler Singers will accompany the PSO for performances of Pavane by French composer Gabriel Fauré, the Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah by German-British Baroque composer George Frederick Handel, “A Merry Christmas Medley” by Canadian composer Howard Cable, “Do You Hear What I Hear?” by Noël Regney (lyrics) and Gloria Shayne (music), John Debney’s “Elf” suite from the motion picture, and “A Christmas Festival,” a medley of eight traditional Christmas carols arranged by American composer Leroy Anderson.
VIDEO: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” – Elmer Iseler Singers
In addition to the choral pieces, the PSO will perform two instrumental compositions often heard during the holidays.
“Every few years, the PSO likes to revisit Tchaikovsky’s brilliant suite from the Nutcracker,” Newnham says, referring to the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet. “This is one of those perennial favourites that musicians also really like performing.”
“Also this year, we open the concert with the prelude to the opera Hansel and Gretel by the late-19th century German composer Engelbert Humperdinck. Although Humperdinck’s music has faded in popularity over the last 100 years, this opera is still very often performed around the holidays.”
The orchestra will also perform “The Bells of Christmas,” a medley of five popular Christmas carols arranged by American composer Bob Krogstad.
This year’s holiday concert takes place at Emmanuel United Church (previously George Street United Church) rather than Showplace Performance Centre, a deliberate choice due to the church’s acoustics.
“The PSO has performed at Emmanuel United Church many times over the years,” Newnham notes. “I feel that this venue’s generous acoustic is especially congenial to us when we are performing with voices. Its warm ambience also makes it an ideal place for our December concert, which is always designed as an event that appeals to the entire family.”
The family appeal includes the PSO’s tradition of a sing-along at the end of its holiday concert, which this year will feature the traditional Christmas carols “The First Nowell” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
“This year, everyone will have the chance to sing along with the Elmer Iseler Singers, which will be extra special,” Newnham says.
“Season of Lights” begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 14th at Emmanuel United Church at 534 George Street North in downtown Peterborough, with a “Meet the Maestro” pre-concert chat at 6:45 p.m. when Newnham will share his thoughts on the evening’s program.
Ticket prices range from $48 to $55 ($12 students) for assigned seating and are available online at thepso.org/season-of-lights. Don’t delay securing your tickets, as seating is limited and tickets are selling fast.
Although the acoustics at Emmanuel United Church will be ideal for the concert, the seats in the church are not designed for comfort and the PSO encourages audience members to bring their favourite festive seat cushion or pillow to the concert.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 season.
