SPONSORED BY
Worcester Center for Performing Arts (WCPA), a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, owns and operates The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts (THT) and, on behalf of the Worcester Cultural Coalition (WCC), manages Worcester’s BrickBox Theater at the Jean McDonough Arts Center (JMAC).
THE BOSTON POPS ON TOUR KEITH LOCKHART, Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor JOHN WILLIAMS, George and Roberta Berry Boston Pops Conductor Laureate KEITH LOCKHART conducting with The Metropolitan Chorale, Lisa Graham, Music Director
2023 HOLIDAY TOUR Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
arr. Bass
Carol of the Drum
Davis—arr. Wright
Fantasia on Christmas Carols Joel Clemens, baritone
Vaughan William
Tomorrow Is My Dancing Day
arr. Hollenbeck
Mary’s Little Boy Child
Hairston—arr. Hollenbeck
The Good News Voyage arr. Coleman/Elliott Film by Susan Dangel and Dick Bartlett | Artwork by Ashley Bryan A Christmas Tale: Suite from The Nutcracker Film by Susan Dangel and Dick Bartlett | Artwork by Jan Brett
Tchaikovsky
INTERMISSION Sleigh Ride
Anderson
Tikkun Olam (Heal the World)
Richman
Happy Holiday Lisa Graham conducting
Berlin—arr. J. Smith
The Twelve Days of Christmas
arr. Chase
A Visit from St. Nicholas (’Twas the Night Before Christmas) Text by Clement C. Moore | Artwork by Jan Brett Laura D. DeGiacomo, Narrator
Reisman
A Merry Little Sing-Along
arr. Reisman
Steve Colby, Sound Designer | Pam Smith, Lighting Designer The Boston Pops Orchestra may be heard on Boston Pops Recordings, RCA Victor, Sony Classical and Philips Records.
Keith Lockhart is the second longest-tenured conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra since its founding in 1885. He took over as conductor in 1995, following John Williams’s thirteen-year tenure from 1980 to 1993. Keith Lockhart, who occupies the Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor chair, has conducted more than 2,000 Boston Pops concerts and annual Boston Pops appearances at Tanglewood, as well as 45 national tours and five international tours to Japan and Korea. The annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular conducted by Mr. Lockhart draws a live audience of over half a million to the Charles River Esplanade and millions more who view it on television or live webcast. He has led eight albums on RCA Victor/BMG Classics; recent releases on Boston Pops Recordings include A Boston Pops Christmas–Live from Symphony Hall, The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers, and Lights, Camera…Music! Six Decades of John Williams. The list of nearly 300 guest artists with whom Keith Lockhart has collaborated represents performers from virtually every corner of the entertainment world. Following his eight-year tenure as principal conductor, he is now chief guest conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in London; he is also artistic director of the Brevard Music Center summer institute and festival in North Carolina. Prior to his BBC appointment, he spent eleven years as music director of the Utah Symphony. He has appeared as a guest conductor with virtually every major symphonic ensemble in North America and many in Asia and Europe. Before coming to Boston, he was the associate conductor of both the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops orchestras, as well as music director of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. The Boston Pops For more than 135 years, the Boston Pops has entertained audiences in Boston and beyond, with Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart leading the orchestra since 1995. In 1881, Civil War veteran Henry Lee Higginson founded the Boston Symphony Orchestra, calling its establishment “the dream of my life.” From the start he intended to present, in the warmer months, concerts of light classics and the popular music of the day. Seventeen Pops conductors, beginning with Adolf Neuendorff, preceded the legendary Arthur Fiedler (1930-1979). The first American-born musician to lead the orchestra, he established the Boston Pops as a national icon. When John Williams (1980-1993) succeeded Fiedler in 1980, he was the most highly acclaimed composer in Hollywood, and today, with 53 Academy Award nominations, he is the most-nominated living person in Academy history. With the Pops, Mr. Williams made a series of best-selling recordings, broadened and updated the Pops repertoire, and entertained audiences with live orchestral accompaniment to memorable movie scenes, many of which featured his own iconic scores. Having led over 2,000 Boston Pops concerts in his tenure to date, Keith Lockhart (1995-present) has created programs that reach out to a broader and younger audience by presenting artists—both established performers and rising stars all the while maintaining the Pops’ core appeal. He has made 83 television shows, led the Pops at several high-profile sports events, and recorded 14 albums. Mr. Lockhart’s tenure has been marked by a dramatic increase in touring, the orchestra’s first Grammy nominations, the first major network national broadcast of the July 4 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular from the Esplanade, and the release of the Boston Pops’ first self-produced and self-distributed recordings.
The Metropolitan Chorale Lisa Graham, Music Director Founded in 1979, The Metropolitan Chorale (metropolitanchorale.org) is an auditioned chorus that is recognized as one of metropolitan Boston’s premier choral ensembles. Since 2004 the ensemble has been under the direction of Dr. Lisa Graham, 2021 winner of the American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting. Metropolitan Chorale concerts explore works by many of today’s leading American and British composers, as well as major choral masterworks. In addition to performances at All Saints Parish (Brookline, Massachusetts), the Chorale has been heard throughout the Boston area. Its Artists in Residence program enables the chorus to work with young professional singers. Under the leadership of Lisa Graham, The Metropolitan Chorale’s membership has grown to encompass 100 members who hail from communities throughout greater Boston. Dr. Graham has expanded the ensemble’s repertory and has enhanced the reputation and reach of the Chorale. Also the Evelyn Barry Director of Choral Programs at Wellesley College, she conducts the Wellesley College Choir, Chamber Singers, and Choral Scholars and teaches academic courses. Active in the Boston musical scene and as a clinician and festival adjudicator, Dr. Graham prepared a vocal ensemble for this season’s Holiday Pops Kids’ Matinee and sensory-friendly concerts at Symphony Hall. Baritone Joel Clemens is quickly becoming known across the East Coast for his exemplary musicianship and dynamic characterization across a broad range of challenging repertoire. Joel recently completed a residency with Chautauqua Institution, where he served as a teaching artist and gave touring performances of zarzuela-inspired children’s opera. He returns to Boston for the 2023-2024 season to be featured in West End Lyric’s inaugural “Joys of Music” concert and Boston Opera Collaborative’s “Whispers: Echoes from the Halls,” an immersive opera experience. A frequent performer with Boston Lyric Opera, he will appear in the chorus of The Anonymous Lover. He will also rejoin the chorus of Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in Norma. In April, Joel will be joining Boston Conservatory at Berklee as a guest artist to sing Demetrius in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Other notable operatic roles include Count Almaviva (Le nozze di figaro), Sid (Albert Herring), Publio (La Clemenza di Tito), Valentin (Faust), and Guglielmo (Così fan tutte.) Equally comfortable in 21st century repertoire, Joel will reprise the role of Manfred in Jake Heggie’s For a Look or a Touch with West End Lyric this spring. He recently premiered three roles in White Snake Projects’ second annual “Let’s Celebrate” series, which draws on diverse cultural traditions with shows that reflect their diverse community of artists. Joel also created the role of Charles Ives in Robert Carl’s Harmony with libretto by acclaimed American writer Russel Banks, produced by Seagle Festival. Other notable contemporary roles include Hannah Younger ( As One), Hawkins Fuller (Fellow Travelers), and Joseph De Rocher (Dead Man Walking.) Joel is a proud alumnus of Seagle Festival’s Emerging Artist Program, which he attended for two summers. He is a recent graduate of Boston Conservatory’s prestigious Master of Music in Opera Performance program, where he was the recipient of the Miles A. Fish III Scholarship. He holds a bachelor of music from James Madison University, where he was awarded the Showalter Scholar Award. Laura D. DeGiacomo, Narrator- joins us from the cast of THT’s production of A Christmas Carol performing the role of Fred’s wife, Millie. Favorite credits: National Tours of Grease (US Sandy) and Showboat (Kim). Regional favorites: Mary Poppins (Mrs. Banks), Sisters of Swing (Patty Andrews), Jonathan (Alice Gibbs), Anything Goes (Hope), among others. Laura received her BFA in Musical Theatre from Emerson College and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
A MERRY LITTLE SING-ALONG arr. Reisman
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER
Words and music by Johnny Marks Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, Had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw it, You would even say it glows. All of the other reindeer Used to laugh and call him names. They never let poor Rudolph Join in any reindeer games. Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say: “Rudolph, with your nose so bright, Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?” Then how the reindeer loved him, As they shouted out with glee: “Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, You’ll go down in history!”
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
Words and music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light; From now on, our troubles will be out of sight. Have yourself a merry little Christmas, make the Yuletide gay; From now on, our troubles will be miles away. Here we are as in olden days, Happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who are dear to us Gather near to us once more. Through the years we all will be together, if the Fates allow; Hang a shining star upon the highest bough, And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! Words by Sammy Cahn Music by Jule Styne
Oh! the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we’ve no place to go, Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! It doesn’t show signs of stopping, And I brought some corn for popping; The lights are turned ’way down low. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! When we finally kiss goodnight, How I’ll hate going out in the storm! But if you’ll really hold me tight, All the way home I’ll be warm. The fire is slowly dying, And my dear, we’re still good-bye-ing. But as long as you love me so, Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
THE CHRISTMAS SONG
Words and music by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, And folks dressed up like Eskimos. Ev’rybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe Help to make the season bright. Tiny tots with their eyes all a-glow Will find it hard to sleep tonight. They know that Santa’s on his way, He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh. And ev’ry mother’s child is gonna spy To see if reindeer really know how to fly. And so I’m offering this simple phrase To kids from one to ninety-two, Al-tho’ it’s been said many times, many ways: Merry Christmas to you.
A MERRY LITTLE SING-ALONG arr. Reisman
WINTER WONDERLAND Words by Dick Smith Music by Felix Bernard
Sleigh-bells ring, are you list’nin’? In the lane, snow is glist’nin’. A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight, Walkin’ in a winter wonderland! Gone away is the blue-bird, Here to stay is a new bird. He sings a love song, as we go along, Walkin’ in a winter wonderland! In the meadow we can build a snowman, Then pretend that he is Parson Brown: He’ll say, “Are you married?” We’ll say, “No, man! But you can do the job when you’re in town”— Later on, we’ll conspire, As we dream by the fire, To face unafraid, the plans that we made, Walkin’ in a winter wonderland!
JINGLE BELLS
Words and music by J. S. Pierpont Dashing thro’ the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh, O’er the fields we go, laughing all the way; Bells on bobtail ring, making spirits bright; What fun it is to ride and sing A sleigh-ing song to-night.—Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh-eigh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh. Oh what fun it is to ride In a one—horse o—pen sleigh!
Brunch ... Brunch • 7 Days
78 Alteas KV17.indd 1
with a French twist.
8AM-3PM 259 PARK AVE. WORCESTER 508.767.1639 7 DAYS 7AM-3PM 9/29/17 11:25 AM
Welcoming
to Worcester Community is at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we are proud to support The Hanover Theatre, and we look forward to a season of fabulous shows.
440 Lincoln Street, Worcester, MA 01653 hanover.com 701-10627 (10/23)