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dec 20, 21
A Scandinavian Christmas
A Scandinavian Christmas
with the Minnesota Orchestra
Sarah Hicks, conductor
Christina Baldwin, vocals | Robb Asklof, vocals | Patrick Harison, accordion
Minnesota Boychoir, Mark S. Johnson, artistic director
Twin Cities Girls Chorus, Stefanie Fiser, artistic director
Ethnic Dance Theatre, Donald LaCourse, artistic director
Holiday Concerts
Saturday, December 20, 2014, 2 pm
Sunday, December 21, 2014, 7 pm
Georg Joseph Vogler/
arr. by Kalevi Aho
Hosianna
Steve Nelson and
Walter E. Rollins/arr.
Rollins/
Bruce Chase
Snømannen Kalle (Frosty the Snowman)
Robb Asklof, vocals
Edvard Grieg/arr. Sarah Hicks
Two Norwegian Christmas Songs
Julens Vuggesang (Yuletide Cradle-Song)
Sang til juletraeet (Christmas Tree Song)
Christina Baldwin, vocals | Minnesota Boychoir
Emil Hartmann
Springdans, Nordic Folk Dance No. 5
Ethnic Dance Theatre
Hugo Alfvén
Vallflickans dans (Herd Maiden’s Dance), from The Mountain King
Frode Fjellheim
Eatnemen Vuelie (Fairest Lord Jesus)
Minnesota Boychoir
John Frederic Coots/
Haven Gillespie/arr. Kip Jones
Tomten Kommer (Santa Claus is Coming to Town)
Patrick Harison, accordion
Traditional/arr. Daniel Powers
Traditional/
O Tannenbaum
Christina Baldwin, vocals | Robb Asklof, vocals
Minnesota Boychoir
Leroy Anderson
A Christmas Festival
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Orchestra Hall
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A Scandinavian Christmas
dec 20, 21
Jean Sibelius
Alla Marcia, from Karelia Suite
Alf Prøysen/arr. Adi Yeshaya
Musevisa (Mouse Song)
Christina Baldwin, vocals | Robb Asklof, vocals
Minnesota Boychoir
Leigh Harline/
arr. by Bill Holcombe
Ser du stjärnan i det blå (When You Wish Upon a Star)
Robb Asklof, vocals
Johan Halvorsen
Entry March of the Boyars
Calle Jularbo/arr. Jones
Livet i Finnskogarna (Life in the Forests of Finland)
Patrick Harison, accordion
Traditional/arr. Hicks
Three Danish Songs
Bitte Mand i Knibe (Little Man in a Bind)
Den Toppede Høne fra Thy (The Crested Hen from Thy)
Syvspring: Hornfiffen (Seven Jumps: Hornpipe)
Patrick Harison, accordion; Ethnic Dance Theatre
Teodoro Cottrau/
arr. Giancarlo Chiaramello
Santa Lucia
Christina Baldwin, vocals | Twin Cities Girls Chorus
Peter Knudson/
arr. Robert Scholz/Hicks
Jeg så glad hver Julekveld (I am so glad on Christmas Eve)
Christina Baldwin, vocals | Robb Asklof, vocals
Patrick Harison, accordion | Minnesota Boychoir
Twin Cities Girls Chorus
Traditional/arr. John Finnegan
Christmas Sing-Along
Jingle Bells | Joy to the World | It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | Silent Night | Away in a Manger
Deck the Halls | O Come, All Ye Faithful
Sing-along texts appear on page 41.
Sarah Hicks, conductor
Sarah Hicks, the Minnesota Orchestra’s principal
conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall, has led
a broad range of programs since joining the
Orchestra as assistant conductor in 2006. In
addition to conducting the Inside the Classics
series, she takes the podium later this season for
a staging of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel,
a concert with trumpeter Chris Botti, programs
showcasing Italian music and more.
Recent, upcoming: During the 2014-15 season
she makes return visits to the San Francisco
Symphony, Detroit Symphony and Alabama
Symphony and debuts with the Santa Fe
Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic, Edmonton
Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Nagoya
Philharmonic and Kansai Philharmonic. In
2011 she toured with British rock icon Sting,
leading 31 concerts over two months in venues
throughout Europe.
Of interest: Born in Tokyo and raised in
Honolulu, Hicks originally studied music
composition, receiving a degree from
Harvard University.
More: minnesotaorchestra.org.
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dec 20, 21
A Scandinavian Christmas
Christina Baldwin, vocals
Patrick Harison, accordion
Christina Baldwin is familiar to Minnesota
Orchestra audiences for her numerous
appearances
as Hansel in
Humperdinck’s
Hansel and Gretel;
her additional
performances here
include singing the
role of Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’ Die
Fledermaus at Sommerfest 2014.
Local: A fixture on the Twin Cities’ opera
and theater scene, Baldwin performs often
at the Guthrie Theater and for nearly 10
years collaborated regularly with Theatre
de la Jeune Lune. She now serves as artistic
associate, music director and performer with
the Moving Company. She has been also
featured on A Prairie Home Companion.
National: She has performed with
companies from Berkeley to Cambridge,
and she has lent her voice to animated
short films by Rosto A.D.
More: christina-baldwin.com,
themovingco.org.
Button accordionist Patrick Harison is
adept at performing in many settings. He
debuted with the
Minnesota Orchestra
in 2012 as a soloist
at a “Springtime
in Paris” concert
conducted by
Sarah Hicks.
Performances: He has performed solos
with the Florida Orchestra, North Carolina
Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic,
Minnesota Opera Orchestra and other
notable ensembles. He has also performed
nationally alongside trumpeter and
bandleader Doc Severinsen. Active in
jazz and folk idioms as well, he performs
regularly with groups from New York,
New Orleans and Minneapolis. He has
appeared internationally at jazz events
including the New Orleans Jazz and
Heritage Festival, Fête de la Musique and
the Veracruz Jazz Festival.
Honor: In 2009 Harison received a
McKnight Fellowship for Performing
Musicians.
More: patrickharison.com.
Robb Asklof, vocals
Tenor Robb Asklof, who in recent seasons
has often performed with the Minnesota
Orchestra, last appeared at Orchestra Hall
as Alfred in Strauss’
Die Fledermaus at
Sommerfest 2014. He
has also sung at four
previous Scandinavian
Christmas programs.
Performances:
Locally he has been heard with the
Minnesota Opera and Skylark Opera,
while across the U.S. he has performed
with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,
Cincinnati Opera, Florida Symphony
Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony
Orchestra, Orlando Opera, and Santa
Fe Opera. He has also performed at the
Lincoln Center for Performing Arts.
Roles: Among his roles have been Hot
Biscuit Slim in Britten’s Paul Bunyan,
Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata, Ernesto in
Mozart’s Don Pasquale, Captain Richard
Warrington in Herbert’s Naughty Marietta
and Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
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M INN E S O T A O R CH ESTRA
Twin Cities Girls Chorus
Stefanie Fiser, artistic director
Molly Enter, associate conductor
Erica Mauter, executive director
The Twin Cities Girls Chorus, founded
in 2007, includes singers in grades 2
through 12 from throughout the Twin
Cities metro area. It has sung in the
Minnesota Orchestra’s Scandinavian
Christmas concerts since 2009. Each year
it performs two major concerts and takes
part in several additional collaborative
performance opportunities. The Girls
Chorus is a program of the Twin Cities
Women’s Choir.
More: tcgirlschorus.org.
Julianna Allen
Sophie Armstrong
Kyra Curry-Wynne
Sage Curry-Wynne
Sigrid Davidson
Hadley Dobish
Gillian Earthman
Lucy Emery
Abby Engdahl
SHOWC A SE
Carmen Heimpel
Julia Jacobs
Nina Kilgriff
Anna Manson
Anna Mulhern
Emily Mulhern
Gracia Seeley
Honora Smith
Shannon Voelkel
Minnesota Boychoir
Mark S. Johnson, artistic director
Mark Abelsen, assistant director
Todd Price, accompanist
The Minnesota Boychoir, now in its 53rd
season, has appeared many times with the
Minnesota Orchestra in repertoire ranging
from Hansel and Gretel to Carmina burana.
The Boychoir has traveled to five continents,
with recent tours including performances at
Sydney’s Opera House and the Vatican.
More: boychoir.org.
Sam Amidon
Adri Arquin
Davyd Barchuk
Aedan Barnes
Andrew Barnes
Jack Barrett
Torstein Baxter-Zink
Will Byrd
Cormac Calcaterra
Joseph Caswell
Bjorn Christ
Colin Clark-Bracewell
Eli Conrod-Wovcha
Michael Dalsin
Jackson Deering
Seth Dickerson
Will Dusek
Leo Dworsky
Jacob Engdahl
Judah Falcon
Gregory Forsberg
Bennett Gilson
Adam Gips
Colin Graham
Henry Hansen
William Hanson
Christian Hedin
Luke Henson
Nathaniel Horwath
Noah Hoska
Jackson Humes
Andrej Humiston
Finn Jackson
Sam Kellar-Long
Aidan Kimberley
Jacob Kimberley
Evan Kraft
William Langason
Minkai Li
Anders Lien
Sawyer Massey
Felix McNally
Noah Miller
Charlie Moonen
Quintin Moothedan
Ryan Moothedan
Quinn Morrissey
Augustus Nelson
Keegan Nelson
Timothy Nelson
Charles Nykamp
Daniel Nykamp
Will Pickart
Orison Piper
Charles Potjer
Thomas Pribbenow
Tommy Ricker
Henry Roach
Aaron RopersHuilman
Ethan Schaner
Ben Schneider
Colton Seekins
Dexter Skahill
Sam Skinner
Isaac Sommerfeldt
Oliver Swanson
Per Swenson
Kieran Ulbee
Isaac Verdoorn
Charlie Wells
Christopher Williams
Noah Yager
Elijah Zupfer
Ethnic Dance Theatre
Donald LaCourse, artistic director
Ethnic Dance Theatre, founded in 1974,
is the Upper Midwest’s only professional
dance company dedicated to performing and
preserving world music, song and dance.
In its mission to promote understanding of
world cultures, it has performed music and
dance from more than 50 cultures. Each year
it presents about 100 programs and hosts a
community dance party.
More: ethnicdancetheatre.com.
Joseph Claesgens
Matthew LaCourse
Sydney Lefevre
Victoria Piorek Nett
Tyrone Schenk
Kjersti Vevle
A Scandinavian Christmas
dec 20, 21
Sing-Along Texts
Jeg er så glad hver Julekveld (I Am So Glad Each Christmas Eve)
Jeg er så glad hver Julekveld,
for da ble Jesus født,
da lyste stjernen som en sol,
og engler sang så søtt.
I am so glad each Christmas Eve,
The night of Jesus’ birth;
Then like the sun the star shone forth,
And angels sang on earth.
The little child in Bethlehem,
He was a King indeed!
For He came down from heav’n above
To help a world in need.
I am so glad each Christmas Eve!
His praises then I sing;
He opens now for ev’ry child
The palace of the King.
—Marie Wexelsen
translated by Peter Andrew Sveeggen
Christmas Medley
Jingle Bells
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
Deck the Hall
Refrain:
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’ angelic host proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King.
Deck the hall with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
’Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Dashing through the snow,
In a one-horse open sleigh;
O’er the fields we go,
Laughing all the way;
Bells on bobtail ring,
Making spirits bright;
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight! (Oh,)
Refrain
—Charles Wesley
Silent Night
Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright,
’Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
—Josef Mohr
—James Lord Pierpont
Joy to the World
Away in a Manger
Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing.
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His
sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked
down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
—Isaac Watts
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven’s all-gracious King”;
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down
from the sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is
nigh.
—Traditional
O Come, All Ye Faithful
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of angels;
Refrain:
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above;
Glory to God in the highest;
Refrain
—John Francis Wade
—Anonymous
—Edmund Sears
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