Event Calendar
HOLIDAY POPS
Saturday, December 18, 2021, 7:30 pm
Start a new holiday tradition with Diane Wittry and the Allentown Symphony! Thrill to the spectacle of the season with this sparkling holiday celebration. Carols, sing-alongs and more. And yes, Virginia, there will be a Santa Claus!
Diane Wittry, Conductor
Jaciel Cordoba, Celebrity Guest Announcer (News Anchor, Channel 69 WFMZ)
Anne Runolfsson, Vocalist
Kate Gilchrist, Student Vocalist
Todd Rizzuto, Special Guest
Repertoire Dance Theatre Dancers: Loie Cristali, Mylah Huber, Kara Liu, Caitlin McCormick, Johanna Mushko, Fionna O’Reilly, Mairead O’Reilly, Rowan Wessner
ASO Bassoon Section: Susan Shaw, Lee Walck, Louis Nolemi
ASO Brass: Omri Barak & Steven Heitzer, trumpets; Colin Weyman, horn; Roger Verdi, trombone; Ronald Demkee, tuba
Allentown Symphony Chorus Carolers: Carole Burkhardt, Andrea Carey, Cindy Ernst, Angela Mitchell, William Marshall, Milo Morris, Joshua Myers, Ryan Neal
P R O G R A M
"Polonaise" from Christmas Eve Suite
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Dancers from Repertoire Dance Theatre: Johanna Mushko, Fionna O’Reilly, Mairead O’Reilly
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
EDDIE POLA & GEORGE WYLE/arr. Mark Hayes
Anne Runolfsso
“March of the Toys” from Babes in Toyland
VICTOR HERBERT/arr. Otto Langey
Dancers from Repertoire Dance Theatre: Loie Cristali, Mylah Huber, Kara Liu, Caitlin McCormick, Rowan Wessner
“We Need a Little Christmas” from Mame
JERRY HERMAN/arr. Mark Hayes
Anne Runolfsso
Mary, Did You Know?
MARK LOWRY & BUDDY GREENE
Anne Runolfsso
“Somewhere in My Memory” from Home Alone
JOHN WILLIAMS
Kate Gilchrist
Christmas At The Movies (arr. Bob Krogstad)
Miracle On 34th Street — The Polar Express — Somewhere In My Memory — Making Christmas — Where Are You Christmas
Bassoon It Will Be Christmas
JAMES M. STEPHENSON
Susan Shaw, Lee Walck, Louis Nolemi
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
JULE STYNE & SAMMY CAHN/arr. Wally Harper & Larry Blank
Anne Runolfsso
Sleigh Ride
LEROY ANDERSON
— I N T E R M I S S I O N —
A Christmas Scherzo
Arr. Jay Sebesky
White Christmas
IRVING BERLIN/arr. John Moss
Anne Runolfsso
Oh Holy Night!
ADOLPHE ADAM/arr. Clydesale
Anne Runolfsso
Stille Nacht (Silent Night)
CHIP DAVIS & CALVIN CUSTER
Caroling, Caroling
ALFRED BURT
Allentown Symphony Chorus Carolers
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
J. FRED COOTS & HAVEN GILLESPIE/arr. Bill Holcombe
Anne Runolfsso and Allentown Symphony Chorus Carolers
Ho! Ho! Ho!
LUCAS RICHMAN
Holiday Pops Sing-A-Long (arr. Lee Norris)
Santa Claus is Coming to Town — It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas — Silver Bells — Winter Wonderland — Frosty the Snowman — Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer — White Christmas
Allentown Symphony Chorus Carolers (the audience is invited to sing-a-long)
The Saints’ Hallelujah
GEORG FRIEDRICH HANDEL/arr. Luther Henderson
Omri Barak, Steven Heitzer, Colin Weyman, Roger Verdi, Ron Demkee
Jaciel Cordoba, Celebrity Guest Announcer
Jaciel Cordoba is one of the longest serving anchors at 69 News. For the last 18 years, he's anchored 69 News at Sunrise and 69 News at Noon. He just received his first Emmy award for best newscast for coverage of the November 2020 election. He's also worked in Chicago, Fort Myers, Memphis, Jackson, TN and Dayton OH. He's originally from Evanston Illinois. In his free time he enjoys reading biographies and catching up on his favorite TV shows.
Anne Runolfsson, Actor/Soprano
Biography
Katherine Gilchrist, Student Vocalist
Biography
Todd Rizzuto, Actor
Todd is excited to be making his Allentown Symphony debut with the Holiday Pops Concert. Todd has performed at Allentown’s Civic Theatre in 2021’s production of “Silence The Musical”as Agent Crawford and Papa Starling, 2020’s off Broadway production at The Hudson Guild Theater “ Works in Progress”as John Kraft , Civic’s 2019’s productions of “Sunset Boulevard” as Max Von Mayerling, “Noises Off” as Freddy Fellowes/Philip Brent and 2018’s “Rock of Ages” as Hertz Klinemann , “Billy Elliot” as Posh Dad. Todd would like to extend a special thank you to Diane Wittry for this awesome opportunity and Big thank you’s to my beautiful wife Nadine, and our wonderful family Michael, Anthony and Kenna for their love and support.
Michael Avaglino, Conducting Fellow
Biography
