Season of Light
Melissa Dvozenja-Thomas, Executive Director, Arts Mid-Hudson
There is a popular debate between family, friends and almost everyone I know - when is the appropriate time to start listening to holiday music? Some people start decorating and getting into the festive mood immediately after Halloween. Others wait until after Thanksgiving or wait until December. Whatever your preference, there is something about holiday music that warms our hearts and prepares us for the season of giving. Saturday, December 9, get in the holiday spirit with the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra (GNSO) as they perform “Season of Light” at Mount Saint Mary College’s Aquinas Hall starting at 4:00 p.m.
GNSO believes the power of live orchestral music enriches communities. They provide a place where people from all backgrounds can come together and hear a high-quality orchestra made up of members from their own neighborhoods. GNSO’s journey began in 1995 by Dr. Woomyung Choe who assembled enthusiastic community members and local performers who believed Newburgh was a cultural center befitting a good orchestra. After 20 years under the leadership of Dr. Choe, GNSO’s board elected Maestro Russell Ger to the position. Maestro Ger’s energy and colorful programming propelled GNSO to a new level of artistic excellence.
Winner of the prestigious Brian Stacey Memorial Trust Award for Emerging Australian Conductors and the Special Orchestra Prize in the Makris International Conducting Competition in Serbia, Ger is one of the foremost Australian conductors of his generation. Ger’s broad repertoire spans orchestral, operatic, and choral music. Prior to his appointment at GNSO, Ger toured North America with esteemed violinist Itzhak Perlman, promoting a recording of Jewish art-music made for Sony Records.
Commenting on the Season of Light program, Ger says, “The lovely thing about Holiday music is that no matter how often we have performed some of these pieces over the years, there always seems to be something new to discover. Beginning with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s sumptuous fantasy on well-known melodies, we move to Corelli’s touching ‘Christmas Eve’ serenade from 1690, and then on to Pachelbel’s beloved ‘Canon’ (which is not technically Christmas music but sounds so fitting!)”
“Next,” Mr. Ger continued, “we will hear an assortment of famous Christmas choral music, as well as the beautiful addition of a new and haunting Hanukkah song called ‘Eight Days of Light.’ We expect this performance to bring down the house, as it has in the past.” This year’s program has an extra special element, the inclusion of 10 professional singers who will perform some of the most wonderful vocal music of the season.
This program is often sold out and with good reason. How lucky are we to be in an area that has such musical talent, especially around the holiday season? Mark your calendar and get your tickets before they are sold out.
If you go:
Season of Light
Mount Saint Mary College - Aquinas Hall, 330 Powell Ave, Newburgh, NY 12550
Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023
Time: 4:00 p.m.
(Snow date: Sunday, December 10, 4:00 pm )
Contact: 845-913-7157
GNSO@NEWBURGHSYMPHONY.ORG
www.newburghsymphony.org
