Brass and Percussion Ensemble

Lancaster, PA—Lancaster Symphony Orchestra invites you to “Celebrate The Holidays Around The Globe,” with the Lancaster Symphony Brass and Percussion Ensemble! This special holiday performance will be on Wednesday, December 7, at 7:30 PM at The Ware Center, Millersville University Lancaster, 42 N. Prince Street.

Favorite classic carols for brass will be performed by Lancaster Symphony Orchestra members Rodney Mack and Luis Engelke, trumpet; James Rester, horn; David Sciannella, trombone; Eric Henry, tuba; and Thomas Blanchard, percussion.

“The holiday season is a special time for just about everyone, so we wanted to be as inclusive of as many cultures as possible,” said Engelke. “Moreover, the theme of Holidays Around The Globe not only accomplishes this goal but also allows us to draw from a variety of repertoire and produce an interesting program. As one would expect, there are classic Christmas carols; however, we are performing many of these in new classic contemporary arrangements.”

During this holiday concert, the audience will experience a dozen musical pieces from around the globe, featuring selections from both Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations. The program will be fast-paced and move through various styles, geographic regions and time periods.

“Brass music is often associated with the joyfulness of the holiday season, so we also programmed a few festive Renaissance and Baroque pieces from England and the popular Nutcracker represents Russia,” said Engelke. “Finally, often we forget that Christmas is celebrated during winter only in the northern hemisphere. In my home country of Brazil, for example, Santa Clause often arrives on a sunny Copacabana beach via a parasail, not a sleigh. For this reason we selected Cantos Nordestinos, a work containing several beautiful folk melodies, capturing the passion of Carnival that runs year-round, including the holidays.”

The quintet will perform familiar selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Handel’s Aria and Joy to the World, and Mendelssohn’s Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, along with modern classics such as Jingle Bell Rock, Winter Wonderland and other favorites.

“We are very thankful that Scott Robinson and the rest of the administration have seized this opportunity to expand Lancaster Symphony Orchestra’s concert offerings,” said Engelke. “The Ensemble became an annual tradition on the Symphony’s Sounds of the Season program after audiences embraced our first performance several years ago. There is no doubt they will also greatly appreciate this music as well. We are thrilled to have this program to showcase music for brass and percussion.”

Seating is reserved. Tickets for this holiday concert are $25 or $10 for students with ID. Tickets can be purchased online at www.MUTicketsOnline.com or by calling 717-872-3811.

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The core purpose of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra is to enrich, entertain and educate the South Central Pennsylvania community through unique, live musical performances and to provide community engagement opportunities for students of all ages. Currently in its 64th season, the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra is a 70-member professional orchestra, serving 52,000 music enthusiasts. The Symphony was founded in 1947 by Frederic S. Klein and John H. Peifer, Jr., from Franklin & Marshall College.