Grammy Nominated Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra Announces Holiday Concert

The Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra under the musical direction of Reuben Blundell, presents a holiday concert on December 2 at 3pm at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center.

The December concert features exquisite seasonal music and is a celebration of young talent. The holiday concert opens with "Finlandia" by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Next in the line-up is "Zigeunerwisen" by Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate featuring violinist Lea Wang, winner of the 2018 Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra's Irving Ludwig Competition. Following is Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" and then "Light" by Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdon, one of America's most performed living composers. Next is "A Christmas Fantasy" composed by the Ann Wyeth McCoy, the youngest sister of Andrew Wyeth, when she was just 18 years old. The New York Times described her music as reflecting "the atmosphere of her home, inspired by the spirit of the holidays." The orchestra continues its celebration of youth collaborating with the Upper Darby High School choir on "All Bells of Paradise" by British composer John Rutter. Next, the Upper Darby High School choir performs a cappella selections including "Stille Nacht" arranged by Priano and "Wade in the Water" arranged by Gibbs. The orchestra then joins the choir to perform Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." The finale brings the audience, musicians and young singers together with Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" from "The Messiah."

Tickets for the concert are $20 for adults, $17 for senior citizens, and $5 for students and can be purchased by calling the box office at 610.622.1189 or by visiting www.udpac.org. Upper Darby Performing Arts Center is located at 601 N. Lansdowne Avenue in Drexel Hill. Parking is free. For more information on the upcoming season visit www.lansdowneso.org.

ABOUT THE GRAMMY NOMINATION:

Music Director Reuben Blundell and the LSO's debut CD "American Romantics III" is a nominee for the 61st Grammy Awards in the Best Orchestral Performance category. The first round of voting by the Recording Academy took place in early October with LSO's CD among 141 entries deemed eligible for the Classical category out of over 20,000 submissions that span the gamut of genres. The next round of voting in early December will identify nominees to be invited to the Grammy ceremony where the final winner will be announced. As the December nomination process approaches, Blundell stated, "We are thrilled to get this kind of recognition, with the CD being played on classical radio stations around the United States, and getting positive reviews in outlets across the world."

"As the stand-out orchestra of Delaware County and some of our neighboring communities, we're proud of our Great Performances and the opportunity we provide for audiences, and musicians, to have outstanding performances of great music," added Blundell.

In addition to a raffle for several themed gift baskets, audience members are encouraged to participate in a silent auction for the opportunity to conduct the orchestra in Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" during the 2019 holiday concert. The gift baskets will be on display in the lobby along with the silent auction. Proceeds support the orchestra.

The Upper Darby Performing Arts Center is jointly sponsored by the Upper Darby School District Board of School Directors and Upper Darby Township Mayor and Council through the Department of Recreation and Leisure Services.