Holiday Celebrations of Community

Dear Friends:

Music makes the season bright! If you're like me, you look forward to this time of year in part because of the many wonderful musical offerings that help to celebrate the holidays. We at the Oregon Symphony are proud that our Gospel Christmas and Yuletide Celebration have become an important part of Portland's holiday tradition and we welcome you to these special performances.

It is especially meaningful this year that our holiday concerts showcase an incredible array of Oregon talent. We are thrilled to welcome back the Northwest Community Gospel Chorus, representing more than 40 churches throughout the Northwest. Gospel Christmas is truly a labor of love and faith for every member of the choir. They rehearse weekly beginning in early October, putting countless hours into preparing for these concerts. We are grateful for their tireless commitment and for the joy they bring to our concert hall every year.

This season's Yuletide Celebration is an all-new, all-Oregon production. Our team has worked very hard to bring together some of the best talent available, including the fabulous Dance West dancers from the renowned Arts and Communication Magnet Academy in Beaverton, the only stand-alone arts magnet school in the state of Oregon.  Carol Lucas, formerly of Portland Opera, has assembled a wonderful local chorus and we enticed The Oregonian’s Margie Boulé to be our hostess for the performances. We are also very pleased that actor Scott Coopwood agreed to lead a unique retelling of "A Christmas Carol." And I understand that Pam Mahon, who portrays Mrs. Claus, is a regular show-stopper!

The local teamwork and inspiration behind these holiday concerts is not just good business, it's good community. We extend our deepest thanks to all of the creative partners who helped us in presenting these wonderful gifts of music to the community.

Have a great holiday season.

Sincerely,

William A. Ryberg, president