The weather outside is frightful, but the ESO’Äôs holiday music is so delightful’Ķ

December 10^th, 2009

A Very Merry Pops

Friday, December 18^th ’Äì 8:00 pm

Saturday, December 19^th ’Äì 8:00 pm

A Family Christmas Concert

Saturday, December 19^th ’Äì 2:00 pm

Edmonton, AB ’Ķ The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) wraps up its holiday season at the Francis Winspear Centre for Music with not only two of the most-anticipated Robbins Pops performances of the season, but also a special family matinˆ©e that will get young sugar-plums dancing around the Christmas tree! In A Very Merry Pops, Steven Reineke, Music Director of the New York Pops and favourite ESO guest conductor, returns to lead Edmonton’Äôs orchestra in its popular potpourri of seasonal songs, carols, light classics, and sing-alongs. On Saturday afternoon, Mr. Reineke will be joined by ESO Resident Conductor, Lucas Waldin, in A Family Christmas Concert.

Lustrous baritone Tyler Hamilton, with his rich vocals and engaging stage presence, along with nearly 100 voices from the Greenwood Singers and the Cantilon Chamber Choir, will light up the stage with their dynamite mix of talent and charisma in A Very Merry Pops. The Cantilon Chamber Choir returns for the family concert, which features medleys of everyone’Äôs favourite carols, plus a presentation of the film The Snowman. This wordless animated adventure about a young boy who makes a snowman that magically comes to life, will be projected above the stage as the orchestra performs the score live. This charming family film, with music by Howard Blake, has become a favourite with ESO audiences in the last few seasons. A Family Christmas Concert will last approximately 75 minutes, without intermission.

Limited single ticket seating remains for these ESO holiday concerts. Ticket prices for A Very Merry Pops range from $20 ’Äì $69 (agency fees apply). Ticket prices for A Family Christmas Concert are Adult $30 / Child $15 (agency fees apply). Call the Winspear Centre Box Office at (780) 428-1414, toll-free 1-800-563-5081, or purchase online at www.edmontonsymphony.com.

The ESO will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Edmonton Food Bank at concerts throughout the month of December.

The next Robbins Pops performances will take place on January 29^th & 30^th, 2010. The ˆíran and Kokopelli Choirs join the ESO to take audiences down The Great White Way with Broadway’Äôs most recent hits.

The next special performance for the ESO will take place on March 10^th, 2010. Piano Spectacular, a unique concert all things pianistic, features Bill Eddins, Angela Cheng, Jon Kimura Parker, and Michael Massey, performing entertaining piano solos, duets, and excerpts from concerti.

Thank you to our generous Robbins Pops series sponsor, Bill and Mary Jo Robbins, and our season media sponsors CBC and the Edmonton Journal.

Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to Marc Carnes, Director of Development, at (780) 401-2518.

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, marking its 58^th season in 2009-2010, has taken its place as one of Canada's foremost orchestral ensemble. Its current roster includes 56 musicians from Canada and around the world, performing a wide-ranging repertoire from the great classical masterworks to pops and children's concerts. The presence of the orchestra and its enrichment of the community's quality of life are key elements in the stature and profile of Edmonton on the national and international scene.