HOLIDAY POPS

MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Friday, December 10, 2021 at 7:30 pm • Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 2:30 pm • Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 7:30 pm •. Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 2:30 pm • Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 7:30 pm

ALLEN-BRADLEY HALL

Jeff Tyzik, conductor

Shayna Steele, vocalist

Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Cheryl Frazes Hill, director

PROGRAM

JEFF TYZIK / A Christmas Overture

LEROY ANDERSON / Sleigh Ride

IRVING BERLIN/Bennett, Robert Russell / White Christmas

TRADITIONAL/Jeff Tyzik / What Child Is This?

PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY / “Waltz of the Flowers” from The Nutcracker, Opus 71a

TRADITIONAL/Dan Forrest / The First Noel • Milwaukee Symphony Chorus

FELIX MENDELSSOHN/Jeff Tyzik / Hark! The Herald Angels Sing • Shayna Steele, vocalist

ADOLPHE ADAM/Jeff Tyzik / O, Holy Night • Shayna Steele, vocalist • Milwaukee Symphony Chorus

TRADITIONAL/Jeff Tyzik / O Come, All Ye Faithful • Shayna Steele, vocalist • Milwaukee Symphony Chorus

INTERMISSION

JOHN WILLIAMS / “Merry Christmas” from Home Alone • Milwaukee Symphony Chorus

PAUL AND ROBERT O’NEILL AND KINKEL/Bob Phillips / Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24

PIETRO YAN/Jeff Tyzik / Gesu Bambino

VARIOUS/Jeff Tyzik / Chanukah Suite • Rock of Ages • My Dredl • Al Hanissim • Who Can Retell • Hanukkah

JOHN HENRY HOPKINS JR./Jeff Tyzik / We Three Kings • Shayna Steele, vocalist

TRADITIONAL/Jeff Tyzik / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen • Shayna Steele, vocalist • Milwaukee Symphony Chorus

TRADITIONAL/Jeff Tyzik / Joy to the World • Shayna Steele, vocalist • Milwaukee Symphony Chorus

The length of this concert is approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes. All programs subject to change.

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra can be heard on Telarc, Koss Classics, Pro Arte, AVIE, and Vox/Turnabout recordings. MSO Classics recordings (digital only) available on iTunes and at mso.org. MSO Binaural recordings (digital only) available at mso.org.

Guest Artist Biographies

JEFF TYZIK, Conductor

GRAMMY® Award winner Jeff Tyzik is one of America’s most innovative and sought after pops conductors. Tyzik is recognized for his brilliant arrangements, original programming, and engaging rapport with audiences of all ages. Tyzik holds The Dot and Paul Mason Principal Pops Conductor’s Podium at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and also serves as Principal Pops Conductor of the Seattle Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, and The Florida Orchestra. This season, Tyzik will celebrate his 23rd season as Principal Pops Conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Frequently invited as a guest conductor, Tyzik has appeared with the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, Milwaukee Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In May 2007, the Harmonia Mundi label released his recording of works by Gershwin with pianist Jon Nakamatsu and the RPO, which stayed in the Top 10 on the Billboard classical chart for over three months. Alex Ross of The New Yorker called it “one of the snappiest Gershwin discs in years.” Committed to performing music of all genres, Tyzik has collaborated with such diverse artists as Megan Hilty, Chris Botti, Matthew Morrison, Wynonna Judd, Tony Bennett, Art Garfunkel, Dawn Upshaw, Marilyn Horne, Arturo Sandoval, The Chieftains, Mark O’Connor, Doc Severinsen, and John Pizzarelli. He has created numerous original programs that include the greatest music from jazz and classical to Motown, Broadway, film, dance, Latin, and swing. Tyzik holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music.

SHAYNA STEELE

Shayna Steele is the kind of singer you wonder why you’ve never heard of, but once you do, you’ll never forget her. “That’s probably the number one complaint I get at the merchandise table. How come I’ve never heard of you?” Steele says.

While promoting her latest album Watch Me Fly (2019 Musthave/Membran) throughout Europe and ready to embark on her first tour in China in March 2020, she, like all musicians in her industry, was hit hard by Covid-19. While in the middle of a residency in Bern, Switzerland with her band at the famous Marian’s Jazz Room, Steele, and her band were woken up at 3 am to panicked calls from family to return home immediately. The border would be shut within 48 hours. “We were devastated. Terrified. I didn’t know if I would be able to safely get my band and myself back to our families.”

With a voice that the London Jazz News says “unleashes enough voltage to light up the West End”, Steele has made her mark as an in-demand vocalist on stage and in the studio. After spending 8 years as a Broadway ensemble member in shows such as Rent and Hairspray, and 6 years in the background supporting artists like Bette Midler, Rihanna, and Kelly Clarkson, Steele stepped out on her own with the release of her 3rd studio album Watch Me Fly (Must Have/Membran) following the huge success of her album Rise (Ropeadope Records) in 2015 which reached #3 on the U.S. iTunes jazz charts. Her self-penned song “Gone Under” from that same album was personally selected by Michael League of Snarky Puppy to be arranged for their Family Dinner, Volume 1(Ropeadope Records). The song and Shayna’s performance was the first single to be released on the GRAMMY® Award-winning band’s album, which has now reached over 1.7 million views on YouTube to date.

After a year and a half and hundreds of cancelled shows, Shayna returns to the scene to finish what she started as she embarks on her first U.S Tour with her band.