Robbins Lighter Classics: Over 125 voices add an elaborate musicality to traditional holiday favourites

A Lightly Classical Christmas

Thursday, December 17^th ’Äì 8:00 pm

*SOLD OUT*

Edmonton, AB ’Ķ All will be calm and all will be bright in an evening devoted to the beloved classical and traditional music of the season. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO), along with Canadian baritone Nathan Berg, Richard Eaton Singers (RES), and guest conductor Steven Reineke, bring rich holiday sentiment and memory to the Francis Winspear Centre for Music with exquisite orchestral arrangements and grand choral masterpieces.

A truly vibrant and unique composition of carols, Christopher Rouse’Äôs Karolju evokes familiar moods of Christmas but with a contemporary twist. In this uplifting piece, Richard Eaton Singers, comprising of 125 voices, will sing in Latin, Swedish, French, Spanish, Russian, Czech, German, and Italian, matching the sound of the language to the style of the carol.

Lending his ’Äúfirst-class voice’Äù (The Boston Globe), one of the most in-demand bass-baritones of his generation Nathan Berg will enchant the audience with his internationally acclaimed musicality and artistry. Performing traditional favourites including Silent Night, Handel’Äôs The Trumpet Shall Sound (from Messiah), and Niles’Äô I Wonder As I Wander, Mr. Berg will also join forces with RES for Vaughan Williams’Äô brilliantly melodious Fantasia on Christmas Carols and a stirring rendition of O Holy Night.

This concert is SOLD OUT. Ticket prices range from $20 ’Äì $69 (agency fees apply), and are available through the Winspear Centre Box Office. Call (780) 428-1414, toll-free 1-800-563-5081, or purchase online at www.edmontonsymphony.com.

The ESO will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Edmonton Food Bank at concerts throughout the month of December.

The next performance of the Robbins Lighter Classics series takes place on January 14^th, 2010. Martin Riseley returns in the New Year to perform a dazzling array of his favourite ’Äúparty pieces’Äù with the ESO in Violinissimo!

Thank you to our series sponsor Bill and Mary Jo Robbins, our series media sponsor Global Television, and our season media sponsor the Edmonton Journal.

Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to Marc Carnes, Director of Development, at (780) 401-2518.

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, marking its 58^th season in 2009-2010, has taken its place as one of Canada's foremost orchestral ensemble. Its current roster includes 56 musicians from Canada and around the world, performing a wide-ranging repertoire from the great classical masterworks to pops and children's concerts. The presence of the orchestra and its enrichment of the community's quality of life are key elements in the stature and profile of Edmonton on the national and international scene.