Three local groups presenting three holiday performances equals one spectacular holiday show.
Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s annual Holiday Spectacular will held at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at The Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. The Elgin Master Chorale and Integrity School of Dance are joining the ESO in the festive program of holiday music, song and dance, ESO Music Director Chad Goodman said.
Last year was Goodman’s first year directing the annual program.
“I do love that we refer to this as the Holiday Spectacular because it is spectacular in every sense,” he said. “It’s very over-the-top … bringing together staple arts organizations of our community in this capacity all on the same stage. We’ll have hundreds of people up there. It really does feel like a celebration of Elgin.”
This is a show for all ages and all levels of experience with classical music, Goodman said.
“There really will be something for everyone and it’s going to be such a fun time,” he said.
Audiences will be treated to the ESO performing Leroy Anderson’s “Christmas Festival,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Sleigh Ride,” “White Christmas” and “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Johann Sebastian Bach.
“We do things that tie more heavily into the pop side of things. We explore Christmas music of Central and South America,” Goodman said.
“We’re doing a medley called ‘Navidad Latina,’ which takes some of the most famous Christmas songs from Central and South America and brings them to life with full symphony orchestra. We’re doing (Handel’s) ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ from ‘Messiah.’ We’re pulling out all of the stops and it’s going to be an incredible celebration of music and of Elgin during the holiday season.”
Among the songs being performed by the Elgin Master Chorale are “O Holy Night” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” They’ll have about 80 singers on stage.
Putting the program together is a “very big process” that started months ago, Goodman said. It involves balancing the holiday staples that everyone loves and peppering in new things that might not be familiar to everyone, he said.
“We like to balance tradition — because the holidays are all about tradition and traditional songs — (with) new pieces that we hope can become traditions for the Elgin community,” he said. “It’s a lot of conversations with a lot of people and finding things that we’re all excited about.”
Keeping the program fresh is a fun challenge, he said. It’s like putting together a very rewarding puzzle that will take the audience on a journey through the program.
Students from Integrity School of Dance will join the ESO during a performance of selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker,” including the new addition this year of the battle scene, he said.
“They’re going big with the classics,” Goodman said. “We’re doing kind of a condensed version, hitting all the highlights and all the most beloved numbers from ‘The Nutcracker.’”
The Orchestra will have about 80 musicians on stage, he said.
“We usually average about 70 but we have some extra instruments,” he said. “We’re doing an incredible Hanukkah medley on this program as well, which is really sensational. It includes electric bass guitar and drum set, and so we bring in other instruments that we associate with other genres. It’s going to be a big orchestra, a big choir and a big dance company too.”
“It’s several hundred people on stage,” he said.
“For so many of us, the holiday season is about gathering. The beauty of an event like this is that it’s a celebration of the greater Elgin community,” he said.
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Spectacular
When: 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15
Where: The Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin
Tickets: $20-$67
Information: 847-888-4000, ElginSymphony.org
