\u201cYoung People\u2019s Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley has a rich history, bringing the highest quality music education and orchestral training to young musicians,\u201d says its Music Director Jordan Randall Smith. \u201cIt\u2019s been a privilege to join this organization in time to celebrate 50 years in the Lehigh Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n
Young People\u2019s Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley presents its \u201cHoliday Concert,\u201d 4:30 p.m. Dec. 7, Christ Lutheran Church, Allentown.<\/p>\n
Young People\u2019s consists of two orchestras: the Junior Strings Philharmonic, led by Conductor Rachel Galassie, and Young People\u2019s Philharmonic, led by Jordan Randall Smith.<\/p>\n
The concert opens with the Junior Strings performance of \u201cConcerto Grosso in G minor, Op. 6 No. 8,\u201d \u201cFatto per la Notte di Natale\u201d (\u201cChristmas Concerto\u201d), written in 1690 by Italian Baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713).<\/p>\n
Originally written for Christmas Eve, it consists of six movements: I. Vivace-Grave; II. Allegro; III. Adagio-Allegro-Adagio; IV. Vivace; V. Allegro, and VI. Pastorale: Largo. Each movement features a small group of soloists interplaying passages with the full orchestra.<\/p>\n
The Young People\u2019s perform the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven\u2019s \u201cSymphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67\u201d which premiered in Vienna, Austria, on Dec. 22, 1808. This movement, \u201cAllegro con Brio,\u201d is easily recognizable by its first four notes, short-short, short-long.<\/p>\n
The concert closes with \u201cSymphonie Antique\u201d by American composer Emma Lou Diemer (1927-2024).<\/p>\n
\u201cA lesser-known work of three movements with spirit and vitality of youth, it is a mixture of scales moving upward, fast rhythmic energy and has a little fugue type of effect,\u201d says Smith, adding, \u201cThe second movement, \u2018Flowing Siciliano,\u2019 has a beautiful flute solo.<\/p>\n
\u201cAudiences will love to celebrate the holidays with us. Our holiday program not only includes classical and popular holiday favorites, it also showcases our students\u2019 musicianship in challenging orchestral works.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be something for everyone,\u201d Smith says.<\/p>\n
In 1976, Jerry Bidlack, a musician and conductor, with his wife Nancy, a chamber music instrumentalist and teacher, founded the Young People\u2019s Philharmonic, comprising a full symphonic orchestra of high school students and a string orchestra for middle school students.<\/p>\n
To commemorate Young People\u2019s 50th anniversary, a third ensemble will be established, Prelude Strings, for students in third through fifth grades.<\/p>\n
Young People\u2019s Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley, \u201cHoliday Concert,\u201d 4:30 p.m. Dec. 7, Christ Lutheran Church, 1245 Hamilton St., Allentown. Tickets: 610-868-9888; https:\/\/ypplv.org<\/p>\n
The \u201cAnnual Advent and Christmas Concert\u201d is at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 6, Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis annual concert is always deeply meaningful because it\u2019s often the first performance of the holiday season for us and we\u2019re always eager to present new arrangements for this special afternoon of music and fellowship,\u201d says Bryan Hay, trombonist and co-founder of Mainstreet Brass.<\/p>\n
\u201cCentral Moravian Church is happy to open its doors and share this festive and reflective concert with our Lehigh Valley neighbors and visitors to Bethlehem,\u201d says Becky Lepore, Central Moravian Church Minister of Music and Organist, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s a time to relax and enjoy carols and fellowship as we prepare for the busy Christmas season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concert includes Lepore\u2019s performance of \u201cDance of the Sugar Plum Fairy\u201d from Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky\u2019s \u201cNutcracker Suite, Op. 71a\u201d and \u201cSkater\u2019s Waltz\u201d by Emile Waldteufel on the exquisite M\u00f6ller Opus 8650 organ.<\/p>\n
The church choir performs \u201cMorning Star in Darkest Night\u201d by Moravian composer Georg Friedrich von Hellstr\u00f6m, \u201cFestival Nowell\u201d by Dan Forrest and \u201cThere Shall a Star\u201d from Felix Mendelssohn\u2019s unfinished oratorio \u201cChristus, Op. 97.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ensemble-in-Residence Mainstreet Brass performs two sets of carols followed by the audience singing hymns of the season, including the Moravian hymn \u201cMorning Star.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concert closes with an organ and brass arrangement of Samuel Scheidt\u2019s \u201cIn Dulce Jubilo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re always humbled to be part of the rich musical traditions at Central Moravian Church where some of the world\u2019s greatest music was heard for the first time in America,\u201d says Hay.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all takes on another dimension with the World Heritage designation. That this tradition will now be known to an even greater global community is quite special,\u201d Hay says.<\/p>\n
Formed in 1986, Mainstreet Brass is known for its varied repertoire, engaging performances and commitment to commissioning new works for brass. The ensemble\u2019s name comes from two of their first performances at churches on Main streets in Freemansburg and Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnnual Advent and Christmas Concert,\u201d 1:30 p.m. Dec. 6, Central Moravian Church, 73. W. Church St., Bethlehem. The concert is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. Information: 610-866-5661, https:\/\/www.centralmoravianchurch.org\/<\/p>\n
\u201cClassical View\u201d is a column about classical music concerts, conductors and performers. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com<\/p>\n
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOYoung People\u2019s Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley<\/p>\n
Jordan Randall Smith<\/p>\n
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOMainstreet Brass<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cYoung People\u2019s Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley has a rich history, bringing the highest quality music education and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47485,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":{"0":"post-47484","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allentown","8":"tag-allentown","9":"tag-allentown-headlines","10":"tag-allentown-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}