The CSO's Annual HOLIDAY POPS Concert to Ring in the Season

An annual Columbus tradition since 1983, the CSO's Holiday Pops is the creation of chorus master and conductor Ronald Jenkins who has led all of its 104 performances to date.

In 2017, Jenkins, the musicians of the Columbus Symphony, and the 130 members of the Columbus Symphony Chorus, will be joined by more than 100 voices from the Columbus Children's Choir, dancers Justin Gibbs and Joanie Evans, dancers from the BalletMet Academy, narrator Steven Crawford, and of course, Mr. and Mrs. Claus for this heartwarming holiday spectacular.

The Columbus Symphony presents Holiday Pops at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) on Friday, December 1, at 8pm; Saturday, December 2, at 3pm and 8pm; and Sunday, December 3, at 3pm. Tickets are $25-$68 and can be purchased at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000.

The 2017 Holiday Pops program will begin with Craig Courtney's "Holiday Pops Overture" followed by Schubert's "Ave Maria" featuring CSO concertmaster Joanna Frankel. They will also perform "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" and Chesnokov's "Spaséniye Sodélal Yesí" before commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of American musical star Leonard Bernstein with his "Chicester Psalms." The first half will also include "Fantasia on Greensleeves," "I Saw Three Ships," "Deck the Halls," and "Winter Wonderland."

The second half will open with the CSO Brass Ensemble performing "Brassy Holiday," and then launch into the annual audience singalong of traditional Christmas carols. Dancers Justin Gibbs and Joanie Evans will be featured in Respighi's "Fantasia on Greensleeves," and a child will be selected from the audience to guest conduct the orchestra in the annual holiday favorite, "Sleigh Ride." Sentimental favorites "All I Want for Christmas" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" will lead into the reading of the favorite holiday poem "The Night Before Christmas" by narrator Steven Crawford accompanied by BalletMet Academy dancers and the music of Randol Bass.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will make their 34th appearance as part of the annual Holiday Pops celebration, closing out the program in grand holiday style. Santa will be available for photos in the lobby after both matinee performances.

Visit www.ColumbusSymphony.com for more information.

Founded in 1951, the Columbus Symphony is the longest-running, professional symphony in central Ohio. Through an array of innovative artistic, educational, and community outreach programming, the Columbus Symphony is reaching an expanding, more diverse audience each year. This season, the Columbus Symphony will share classical music with more than 175,000 people in central Ohio through concerts, radio broadcasts, and special programming.