“Christmas is a glorious time of year, simple in origin, deep in meaning, beautiful in tradition and custom, rich in remembrance and charitable in spirit,” said Thomas S. Monson. For the DuPage Symphony Orchestra, it has become a good tradition to present annual holiday concerts that are deeply loved and appreciated by local music lovers. This time the musicians have prepared a concert program called “Yuletide Cheer”, which will be presented in two unforgettable concerts that will create sweet memories and light up our minds. The concerts will begin at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 12 at the Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave. in Naperville.

“Continuing our celebratory theme throughout the holiday season, the DSO presents a family program of seasonal favorites guaranteed to bring Yuletide Cheer,” said the DuPage Symphony Orchestra website.

Since 1954, the DuPage Symphony Orchestra has shared the beauty of classical symphonic music. These volunteer musicians find peace, comfort and a sense of life by performing musical masterpieces and bringing joy and happiness to their audiences. Needless to say, the heart of the orchestra is musical director and conductor Barbara Schubert, who was appointed to this post at the start of the 1986-87 season as the second musical director in the history of the DuPage Symphony Orchestra. His mastery, enthusiasm and endless energy attract and yearn both musicians and audience members.

A popular Christmas piece titled “A Carol Symphony” will be performed during the Yuletide Cheer concert program. Written by Victor Hely-Hutchinson, one of the most wonderfully talented British musicians of the turn of the 20th century, this composition will sound familiar to every member of the audience. The reason is that this symphony includes a sequence of preludes, or movements, where each movement is based on a single Christmas carol.

Being the youngest son of Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson, the last governor of the Cape Colony in South Africa, Hely-Hutchinson had a short but brilliant life while going through social disasters such as two world wars, the plague and the great Depression. Social issues did not affect his musical achievements as he is known as one of the most talented and versatile musicians of his time. His “Carol Symphony” has become his best-known large-scale work. This work in four movements was conceived “to express the spirit of joy aroused by the memories of the novel and of the mystery of the crib.”

The holiday spirit will also be brought in by an arrangement of popular Jewish songs by music director and conductor Peter Jaffe. He arranged the songs for “Symph-Hanukkah” in 2018-19, and since then this arrangement has become very popular and has been performed by many orchestras during their holiday concerts. This piece will remind you of the Jewish Festival of Lights and will include well-known Hanukkah songs such as “Rock of Ages”, “Dreidel Song”, “Who Can Retell?” and more.

What else can the audience expect during this concert program? As the DuPage Symphony Orchestra website mentions, “poignant sets from the Coventry Carol, the Huron Carol, the A Cambridge Carol, and more – as well as musical performances by Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, and maybe even a real life visit from Santa himself! Add to the fun of this year’s DSO Holiday concert. “

I can only add that we all need this Christmas cheer in our lives, especially now. This holiday season and especially this concert program prepared by the DuPage Symphony Orchestra will bring us much-needed peace and hope. As Phillips Brooks said, “The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it is still young, the heart of the jewel burns bright and fair, and its soul full of music breaks the air, when the song of angels is sung. “

These family concerts will take place this Sunday, December 12 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Masks are required to attend all in-person events on campus, regardless of immunization status.

Tickets start at $ 6 and you can purchase your tickets at the North Central box office or by calling (630) 637-SHOW. Visit the DSO website www.dupagesymphony.org/tickets-events and check out all the details on the 2021-22 concert season. Single tickets are on sale now. Limited subscriptions are still available by calling the DSO office at (630) 778-1003. The orchestra also has GIFT CERTIFICATES for the holidays. Purchase one at the Christmas concert or by calling the DSO office at (630) 778-1003.