“Viva Noel” will be premiered during the second half of the program.
“We are very excited to have David in town. He’s a very good friend of the band, and we are looking forward to him conducting his new piece,” he said.
Over the years, he said, the band has added a veteran’s tribute, which we do at every concert. The group also takes pride in playing a variety of musical selections, which appeal to a wide range of audience members.
The holiday performance will be Dec. 3 and is free and open to the public.
“The holiday concert that we do every year around the same time is probably one of the best attended concerts. We average between 450 and 500 people, which is a very good number,” Nichols said.
He said the program will be divided in to three areas. The band will begin with concert band music that’s famous, standard music. Then, the band will transition to some holiday tunes prior to the intermission. During the second half of the program, the band will premiere “Viva Noel” by David Shaffer, an internationally known composer. As a native of Ohio, he also played in SOSB in the 1980s under founding director William Stiehl.
Conducted by Nichols, the concert will open with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which was arranged by Walter Damrosch and John Phillip Sousa and edited by Keith Brion.
Other numbers on the first half of the program will include “Alleluia! Laudamus Te” by Alfred Reed, Symphonic Highlights from “Frozen” arranged by Stephen Bulla and “Three Jazzy Kings” by David Shaffer.
The band will play “The Pathfinder of Panama March,” by John Philip Sousa and arranged by Keith Brion, in honor of the veterans in the band as well as those that are in the audience.
Another standout will be a holiday selection from the “Whirlwind Trio” that will feature Luanne Smith on clarinet, Keri Link on flute and Carl Colvin on the oboe.
The second half of program will begin with selections from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” with music and lyrics by Danny Elfman, arranged by Michael Brown.
Guest conductor and composer David Shaffer will then premiere a new arrangement, which was commissioned by the band, entitled “Viva Noel.”
Another standout on the program is Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” which is an annual tradition for the band. A group of five-and-six-year-old children will join the band again this year to play in the percussion section.
“The community really looks forward to this holiday concert. It features classic band music, holiday tunes, and a new work by David Shaffer,” Nichols said. “People do anticipate we are going to be playing the first Sunday in December, and they mark their calendars.”
The program will conclude with Anderson’s “Christmas Festival.” The program will feature two 30-to-40-minute segments with an intermission. There will be a reception in the foyer with Santa following the concert.
How to go
What: “Viva Noel,” annual holiday concert present by the Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band
When: 2:30 p.m. Dec. 3
Where: Dave Finkelman Auditorium, Miami University Middletown, 4200 N. University Blvd.
Cost: Free
Online: sosband.org
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