December 2024 Concert Program

Program Notes Christmas Concertante for Horn and Orchestra – Kyle Jones Erik Siverson commissioned Christmas Concertante for the orchestra at Advent Lutheran, Morgan Hill, CA. Maestro Kyle Jones has led church choirs and various choral ensembles for over 25 years, directing singers in hundreds of productions featuring sacred and secular music across the United States. Jones is a graduate of Furman University and attended Florida State University for voice performance. He holds a Master’s in choral conducting from the University of North Texas in Denton. Jones enjoys teaching private lessons and servicing and tuning pianos in his free time. Horn Concerto No. 3 K. 447 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart W.A. Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major (K. 447) was completed between 1784 and 1787 during the Vienna Period. The composition was written as a friendly gesture for the hornist, Joseph Leutgeb. The Romance movement is likely the first movement to be composed, and Mozart later expanded the work into a full concerto by adding the outer movements. A Christmas Festival – Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as “one of the great American masters of light orchestral music.” Nutcracker Suite Op. 71a – Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Tchaikovsky selected eight of the numbers from the ballet before the ballet’s December 1892 première, forming The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, intended for concert performance. The suite was first performed, under the composer’s direction, on 19 March 1892 at an assembly of the Saint Petersburg branch of the Musical Society. The March is the entrance of the children to the holiday party. The Trepak dance is based on traditional Russian and Ukrainian folk dances by the same name. Dance of the Reed Flutes (Les Mirlitons) is a play on words, as Nutcracker Mirlitons are also a kind of pastry. Waltz of the Flowers represents the beauty and splendor of the floral kingdom within the Land of Sweets.