Symphony Tacoma’s annual collage of seasonal delights for the whole family, featuring Tacoma Youth Chorus and Tacoma Refugee Choir! This year’s program features choral masterpieces and festive arrangements—including selections from favorite holiday films—that evoke feelings of holiday celebrations at home, whatever your tradition may be. Guest artists: Erin Guinup, soprano | Tacoma Refugee Choir | Tacoma Youth Chorus

Symphony Tacoma Voices (Geoffrey Boers, conductor) Soloists: Leann Conley-Holcom, soprano | Soon Cho, mezzo-soprano | Brendan Tuohy, tenor | Zachary Lenox, bass Perhaps the world’s most well-known and beloved choral work, George Frederick Handel’s Messiah has transcended its time and place to become a “work of the people” shared by audiences and musicians around the world. This holiday classic oratorio is performed by the talented orchestra and vocalists of Symphony Tacoma Voices.

Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring Simon Petersson: Spheres (U.S. PREMIERE) Yaron Gottfried: Electric Guitar Concerto (with multimedia) (U.S. PREMIERE) Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” Guest artist: Michael Nicolella On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring is a delightful expression of the beauty of nature. Maestra Sarah Ioannides conducted Simon Petersson’s Spheres in Sweden in 2018 and is excited to bring it to Tacoma. Seattle native Michael Nicolella will perform Israeli composer Yaron Gottfried’s Electric Guitar Concerto, a…

Beethoven: Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus Mozart: Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter” David Ludwig: Songs from the Bleeding Pines (WORLD PREMIERE) Beethoven: Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra “Choral Fantasy” Guest artist: Pallavi Mahidhara, piano Creatures of Prometheus is Beethoven’s only full-length ballet and shows his lighter side. Mozart’s longest and final symphony “Jupiter” was said to be an inspiration to Beethoven with its five simultaneous melodies. Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy” is considered a forerunner to his Ninth Symphony and includes…

Smetana: Vltava “The Moldau” David Ludwig: Violin Concerto Mahler: Symphony No. 1 “Titan” Guest artist: Bella Hristova, violin The works that make up this concert share influences from Bohemia. Smetana’s “The Moldau” is one of seven symphonic poems that pay tribute to the famous Eastern European river. David Ludwig wrote his Violin Concerto for his wife, Bulgarian native and violinist Bella Hristova, who is the featured artist. Mahler’s “Titan” integrates Austro-German folk melodies into this epic symphony.

Ravel: La Valse Boulanger: D’un Matin de Printemps Boulanger: Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue | An American in Paris On the centennial of the Roaring Twenties, Symphony Tacoma celebrates the French and American musical influences of the decade. Ravel’s La Valse is a tribute to the Viennese waltz. The Boulanger sisters, both talented composers, left us few—yet notable—works. After Lili’s death at an early age, Nadia stopped composing but her influence continued through her teaching of…