Last night I braved the downtown traffic to see an absolutely delightful Christmas concert with the Utah Symphony, the choristers of the Madeleine School Choir, and Broadway star Ashley Brown. I really love hearing Christmas music performed live so I have been looking forward to this concert for a long time and it definitely filled me with Christmas cheer (after the hassle of getting to Abravanel Hall). The orchestra was under the baton of guest conductor and amusing master of ceremonies, Michael Krajewski, and they began with a festive version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and then "Christmas Day," a lovely arrangement of several traditional carols by Gustav Holst. The choristers of the Madeleine School Choir sang "All Is Well" by Michael W. Smith and their voices were beautiful! Ashley Brown, who originated the role of Mary Poppins on Broadway, joined the orchestra for "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and "Winter Wonderland." The choristers then performed a medley of Hanukkah songs, including "The Dreidel Song" which I sang when I was in choir! Brown returned to the stage for a dramatic rendition of "I Wonder as I Wander." To close the first half of the concert she performed my very favorite Christmas song! It isn't officially Christmas until I hear "O Holy Night" performed live and Brown basically blew the roof off Abravanel Hall with her version! I loved it! After the intermission, the orchestra played a rock and roll version of "The Skater's Waltz" which was a lot of fun. Brown sang an interesting arrangement of "Jingle Bells" and then Krajewski dramatically demonstrated the proper technique for playing the whip and joined the orchestra for "Sleigh Ride." The audience gave him a standing ovation with repeated calls for an encore! It was hilarious! Next, Brown and the choristers performed a medley featuring "Ding Dong Merrily On High," "Silent Night," "Angels We Have Heard On High," and "Joy to the World." She concluded the concert with what she called a medley of Christmas songs that people love to hate because they are played on the radio so often. This included "All I Want For Christmas Is You," "Happy X-mas (War Is Over)," and "Feliz Navidad." I loved this concert and I recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance of the same program (go here) but give yourself plenty of time to drive in the crazy holiday traffic!
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