Tradition Continues — Boston Pops Go Virtual for the Holidays
One of New England's most popular Christmastime traditions continues in 2020 with a virtual Holiday Pops program that will feature the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Keith Lockhart in favorites of the season, December 10 through January 9, at www.bso.org/now.
Drawing from performances recorded at Symphony Hall in November and Fenway Park in October, as well as some special archival performances, this online program embodies the Holiday Pops' classic concert formula of combining beloved seasonal classics such as "Sleigh Ride," and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with newer content and inspirational readings of Christmastime favorites. Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops will welcome eight Boston-area vocalists—Teresa Blume, David Guzman, Renese King, Philip Lima, David McFerrin, Fran Rogers, Erica Spyres, and Kristen Watson—who were all recorded at GBH's Frasier Studio wearing masks and abiding by social distancing protocols in place for everyone's protection. Among the selections spotlighting these singers in solo and ensemble configurations are "O Holy Night," "Mary, Did You Know?," and "Mary's Little Boy Child."
Keith Lockhart and members of the brass and rhythm sections of the Boston Pops will be featured in special video selections filmed at Fenway Park, where the orchestra was recorded playing in left field in front of the Green Monster, the dugout, center field, and the grandstands. The December 10 program will feature two selections from the Fenway Park video shoot: "Must Be Santa"—joined by Wally the Green Monster in full Santa Claus suit—and "Good King Wenceslas."
"SymphonyPortions of the program will feature inspirational poems and readings recited by Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart to complement the musical selections: "Christmas Canticles" with an excerpt from Maya Angelou's "Amazing Peace"; "O Holy Night," sung by David Guzman, with words of Rabbi Avi Weiss; "Of Nights, Lights and Brass," with words of Anne Frank; and "The Gifts of Great Meadows"—a film and musical presentation created by Boston Pops Principal Horn Gus Sebring—with "A Carol of Color" by Mary Jenness.
Since no Holiday Pops program is complete without performances of the great choral works of the season, 156 members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus will join the festivities both archivally and virtually for a beloved medley, "Home for the Holidays," and 58 young singers of the Boston Symphony Children's Choir join the performances virtually as well for a performance of "Christmas Time Is Here." The TFC and BSCC are under the direction of James Burton.
This year, the musical selections take special advantage of the digital format for festive effect; there will special online appearances by several celebrity narrators who will recite different couplets from "A Visit from St. Nicholas" ("'Twas the Night Before Christmas"), including Andris Nelsons, John Williams, Thomas Wilkins, Ayanna Pressley, Billy Porter, Ming Tsai, Governor Charlie Baker, Mayor Marty Walsh, Bill Belichick, Linda and John Henry, and Michael Bloomberg, among others.
Since every Holiday Pops program includes a visit from Santa Claus, this year's online concert won't disappoint, as Santa is scheduled to arrive just in time to deliver his own special supply of digital surprises. The Boston Pops 2020 Holiday Celebration video stream ends with previously recorded selections: the Boston Pops' rollicking arrangement of "The 12 Days of Christmas," "A Merry Little Sing-Along," and "Let There Be Peace on Earth" accompanied by an updated version of last year's popular video featuring Boston Public School students singing, now with illustrations by local elementary school students that depict their ideas of peace.
The Boston Pops 2020 Holiday Celebration will be accompanied by a digital program book that includes fun features such as festive holiday recipes, historical facts about Holiday Pops concerts over the years, coloring pages, and scavenger-hunt activities that further engage families with the sights and sounds of the Holiday Pops concert. Created in collaboration with Wing Press, the program book has the look and feel of a printed publication, with page-turn animations, page shadows, and more.