From Music Director Daniel Meyer
I love that we call our annual Holiday Pops concert ‘Come Home for the Holidays.’ I suppose I am always looking for ways to recreate the magical feeling I remember from my childhood Christmases, and to ‘Come Home for the Holidays’ means exploring the looks, smells, and most importantly sounds of Christmas that I cherish so dearly. One of the best ways to create a musical menu for the holidays is to remember the treasure trove of music we want to hear each and every Christmas. There will always be clever and interesting arrangements of those classics to try anew, but at the heart of my programming is an homage to the composers and arrangers who make this music come alive on the big stage. I love the colorful, sprawling arrangements that make use of as many of the musicians of the Erie Philharmonic as possible, as much as a I love a soft, glowing, intimate arrangement that reminds you of a single candle in the window.
I try to make sure that the classics form the staple of any holiday concert we play for you at the Warner. I also want to celebrate with our own musical family, and that’s why the Erie Philharmonic Chorus under Tom Brooks will always be there to help us usher in the season. It will also be a treat for us to collaborate with the Collegiate Academy Vocal Jazz ensemble – Susan Huster and her young musicians are thrilled to perform for you, and it’s a particular point of pride that we have so much local talent to feature on this concert.
Our guest soloist, soprano Joan Ellison, whom you may remember from her appearances several years ago, has spent so much of her career tracking down those classic arrangements of hits you likely remember from your favorite holiday album, movie, or television show.
I remember voraciously sifting through my parents’ holiday album collection and spinning as many Christmas hits as I could get my hands on. Joan has done the very same herself for our benefit, with an emphasis of course on the great American female singers from the twentieth century whose voices and stylings are synonymous with Christmas.
I am expecting her return to be one filled with the joy of making music with these memorable and artful arrangements.
I really hope that you enjoy this musical moment to get into the spirit of the season, and I wish you and your family a most wonderful season as you prepare for the holidays. See you at the Warner!
Musically Yours,
Daniel Meyer
Music Director, Erie Philharmonic