NEW CASTLE Pittsburgh Symphony returns for holiday show

The Shenango Valley Chorale will be part of the concert.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will once again perform at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, and PSO resident conductor Daniel Meyer says they're glad to be back.
The Cathedral/PSO concert series was established six years ago, but last year, they did not do a holiday concert.
"I want the people of New Castle and Youngstown to know how much we missed them, and how excited we are to be doing this concert," said Meyer. "The space is beautiful, there is plenty of seating, and we feel a connection to the community."
The orchestra will be joined by the Shenango Valley Chorale and soprano soloist Katy Shackleton Williams of Pittsburgh's Mendelssohn Choir. The program is titled "Home for the Holidays: Celebrating Pittsburgh Traditions."
The program
Meyer said he chose the music for this concert to evoke the spirit of Christmas in a family-friendly way. "All of the music we are doing are good, solid, traditional arrangements," he said. "I love this music, and it all has special meaning. The 'Skater's Waltz' by Waldteufel is very Viennese in style, and I fell in love with it while a student in Austria. Every year the Vienna Philharmonic performs it for their New Year's concert."
Meyer will tell a little about each piece as an introduction, and how it fits into holiday tradition. "'Sleigh Ride' is one everybody loves, and has that feeling of enjoying holiday lights, and people trying to outdo each other," Meyer said. "We will also do two songs from Victor Herbert's 'Babes in Toyland:' 'Hail to Christmas' and 'March of the Toys.' They celebrate the holiday tradition of shopping. Herbert was one of the first conductors of the Pittsburgh Symphony, so we wanted to pay tribute to him. We will also do 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' in a very traditional arrangement, as it was originally intended."
There will be traditional sacred music, as well, such as "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," and "Silent Night," and an audience sing-along medley of favorites, including "Joy to the World," "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and "The First Noel." Meyer also added that at some point, there may be a visit by a special guest wearing a red suit.
Meyer believes the audience will enjoy selections from Handel's "Messiah." "We will begin with the recitative, 'There were shepherds abiding in the field,' sung by our soloist, which will lead into the chorus, 'Glory to God,'" said Meyer. "The audience will then stand to join the singing of the 'Hallelujah Chorus.'"
Shenango chorale
The 100 voices of the Shenango Valley Chorale, under the direction of Edgar Groves, will accompanying the orchestra as well as leading the audience in the sing-alongs. This is the first time this group has sung with the PSO, and Groves said they are very excited to be performing with one of the world's best orchestras.
Groves, who has directed the group for 11 years, stresses that these are people that have a passion for singing. "They are a non-professional group, ranging in age from 20 to 82, a good cross-section of the community," he said. "But the thing they have in common is their talent and commitment to excellent singing."
While there are a few pieces on the program strictly for orchestra, most will include voices. Groves mentions that Herbert's "Hail to Christmas" is a campy, 1920s tune, "something older folks will like."