Virtual Performance of the WVIK/QCSO Signature Series II: “Holiday Brass" -- December 12.
Saturday, December 12, 7:30 p.m.
Presented by the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and WVIK Public Radio
For the second presentation in radio station WVIK and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's 2020-21 Signature Series, the area instrumental ensemble gets seasonal, and virtual, in its December 12 concert event Holiday Brass, a repertoire of traditional pop and classical tunes that will be available for additional viewing a full 30 days after the Saturday-evening program ends.
A number of traditional yuletide songs will be performed in this year's Holiday Brass, including “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “Adeste Fideles,” “Stille Nacht,” “Manger Pastorale/Jesu Bambino,” and “Joy to the World.” Beloved works by classical and pop composers will also be represented, with the concert featuring such hummable tunes as Gustav Holst's “Christmas Day,” Anthony DiLorenzo's “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” Leroy Anderson's “Sleigh Ride,” and Pyotor Ilyich Tchaikovsky's seasonal staple “The Nutcracker Suite.” The virtual concert will be conducted by the QCSO's longtime music director Mark Russell Smith, and discussing the annual Holiday Brass presentations, Russell has stated, “There’s a volume and a very thrilling aspect in pairing brass and percussion. It’s kind of perfect for holidays in that way.”
Founded in 1915, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra is among the 20 longest-established, continuously operating orchestral associations in the United States. The QCSO presents a full season each year supplemented by pops and special events, and has demonstrated steady artistic growth measured by the depth of the repertoire performed. Composed of an average of 80 players, the QCSO provides programs and community service to a market of more than 450,000 residents of eastern Iowa and western Illinois, staging performances in both Iowa and Illinois, and has also founded the Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra and four additional training ensembles: the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, Youth String Ensemble, Prelude Strings, and Youth Choir. Its music-education and outreach programming includes dozens of education programs delivered to over 10,000 area students annually and more than 250,000 over the years to students in Iowa and Illinois, and the League of American Orchestras has recognized the QCSO Volunteers for Symphony for its role in implementing these innovative educational programs uplifting youth through music and the arts.
The second presentation in the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's and WVIK's Signature Series, Holiday Brass will be live-streamed at 7:30 p.m. on December 12 and the concert will be available for viewing through January 11, though audiences are asked to allow 12 hours for video processing after Saturday night's concert concludes before attempting to access the digital event. Tickets are $25 per household, and are available by calling (563)322-7276 or visiting QCSO.org.
