From cowboys to carols, the Naperville Municipal Band will be spicing up its annual Holiday Concert with a variety of music when it takes the stage Dec. 19 at Wentz Concert Hall on the campus of North Central College in Naperville.
“We will be playing familiar Christmas music, some of which is traditional and some are new twists on familiar tunes of the season,” said Conductor and Music Director Ronald Keller.
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The assorted program features a new arrangement called “A Cowboy Christmas,” a narration of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” “A Hanukkah Festival” by Chris Bernotas and “Passacaglia on an Old English Folksong.”
“We will open with ‘Sleigh Ride’ by Leroy Anderson and close with probably the most famous arrangement of carols ever made by him, ‘A Christmas Festival,'” Keller said. “That arrangement is heard all season in malls, on radio and even television.”
You can count on an appearance by the man in red as well.
“Santa Claus has agreed to make a stop also, so we are playing ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town’ and ‘Here Comes Santa Claus,'” Keller said.
Another favorite in the mix Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” featuring the band’s own alto saxophonist Kelsey Fletcher-Broucek.
“Kelsey is the perfect example of someone who is a lifelong musician — she is a Spanish teacher by day and still pursues her passion for music by playing in the Naperville Municipal Band and Naperville Big Band,” said Assistant Conductor Emily Binder. “Kelsey’s beautiful rendition of ‘White Christmas’ will surely be a crowd favorite.”
An audience singalong is also highly likely.
“What is wonderful about the holiday concert is that most of the people in the audience have not only heard the pieces before, but they have also sung them or performed them at some point in their lives,” Binder explained. “In other words, there is an instant connection to the music — this connection to the music and the band always makes for a very warm, peaceful and lighthearted concert atmosphere.”
By its very nature and material, a holiday concert tends to feel more personal.
“My favorite thing about this concert is that there is less of an audience/performer model and more of shared performance honoring and celebrating cherished holiday memories illuminated by music,” Binder said. “On a typical concert, we are often programming literature that most people in the audience do not have consistent access to.”
While the holiday concert is free and open to the public, with no advance registration required, all audience members are required to wear a face mask throughout the show. Arrive early to catch several of the band’s ensembles performing out in the lobby before the concert.
Next up, the band’s first performance of 2022 will be its winter concert 3 p.m. March 20 at Wentz Concert Hall.
Naperville Municipal Band’s Holiday Concert
When: 3 p.m. Dec. 19
Where: Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
Tickets: free
Information: napervilleband.org
Jen Banowetz is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.