Annual ESO Holiday Concert on December 6 Continues Tradition

Annual ESO Holiday Concert on December 6 Continues Tradition of Bringing Together Local Arts Groups, Including Gospel Choir, To Celebrate The Season

EVANSTON, IL – The Evanston Symphony will continue its revered tradition of collaborating with arts groups from throughout Evanston and the North Shore to celebrate the holiday season. This year’s Holiday Concert returns to Evanston Township High School at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6 and features the symphony in collaboration with the North Shore Choral Society, the Evanston Dance Ensemble , the Evanston Children’s Choir, plus the newly formed Evanston Symphony Holiday Gospel Choir, organized by Rev. Kenneth Cherry.

Even Santa will get into the act, leading the audience in a sing-along of favorite Christmas carols.

“The annual Evanston Holiday Concert is one of the year’s most enjoyable and thoroughly inclusive arts events of the year, bringing together hundreds of local instrumentalists, singers and dancers to put on a wonderful show designed to entertain people of all ages,” said Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl.

Orchestral numbers will include Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride and Robert Wendel’s A Chanukah Overture and Christmas a la Valse.

The Evanston Dance Ensemble will dance over 20 minutes of selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet, accompanied by the ESO.

The North Shore Choral Society will join the ESO in selections from Poulenc’s Gloria and Handel’s always crowd-pleasing “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah. And the NSCS, the Evanston Children’s Choir, and the ESO will then be joined by the gospel choir in the “Hallelujah” from Quincy Jones’ “Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration”,  using an orchestration specially commissioned by the ESO with the assistance of the Cultural Arts Fund of the City of Evanston. The gospel choir will also sing Timothy Wright’s “Pretty Baby” in the first part of the concert.

The Evanston Children’s Choir will perform two versions of “Welcome Yule”, one by William Matthias and the other from Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. And the audience will join the orchestra in a “Sing-a-long” of beloved Christmas songs, led by none other than Santa himself.

The Evanston Symphony Holiday Concert takes place 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec 6 at Evanston Township High School auditorium, 1600 Dodge Ave. in Evanston. For more information, and to take advantage of early pricing discounts by ordering tickets in advance, visit www.evanstonsymphony.org or call 847-864-8804.

Editors: Journalists are welcome to tape and photograph the concert dress rehearsal, at which all the participating arts organizations will be practicing, starting at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, in the auditorium of Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave. in Evanston. Please call ESO General Manager David Ellis at the above number to confirm.