USA East Music BULLETIN - WINTER 2018/19 - ISSUE 1 | Page 18

PHILLY KROC CHRISTMAS
By Aaron Harris, Performing Arts Director, Philadelphia Kroc
DECEMBER 20, 2019 — There was a palpable
energy in the Philadelphia Kroc Center. At 6:30
on this Thursday night over fifty musicians
and dancers were preparing to take to the
stage and present the annual “Sounds of the
Season” concert. This concert has developed
as one of our greatest program highlights
with the attendance this year nearly reaching
capacity in the Worship and Performing Arts
Center.
The program featured the Let’s Play! youth
orchestra, the Philly Kroc Jazz Orchestra,
and a new addition with dancers from our
Homework Zone and the Early Childhood
Education Center. The program opened in
good form with the Jazz Orchestra sharing an
arrangement of Amazing Grace and dropping
right in on the high energy arrangement of
Beauty and the Beast by Gordon Goodwin.
After a welcome by the Kroc administrator,
Captain Tawny Cowen-Zanders, and a
prayer by congregational life officer, Major
Demetrius Stanford, the Jazz Orchestra came
back swinging with an arrangement of Let it
Snow.
For the very first time our oldest children
from the Early Childhood Education Center
presented dance to music from a Charlie
Brown Christmas. The wind ensemble from
the Let’s Play! orchestra was welcomed and
presented Sousa times Twosa featuring two
of Sousa’s classic marches.
The advanced string ensemble was
welcomed and presented an impressive
rendition of the first movement from Mozart’s
String Quartet in C major. The full Let’s Play!
orchestra shared a beautiful arrangement of
Bach’s Sheep May Safely Graze. The Philly
Kroc Jazz Orchestra came back into the
program with Winter Wonderland, I’ve Got
my Love to Keep Me Warm (featuring vocalist
Nikki Paulino), and Man With a Bag that was
well received with a little humor as Santa
came dancing through the room.
This year saw a large increase in the
number of beginners in our Let’s Play! so the
next number on the program highlighted
them as the soloists with an arrangement
for orchestra by William Himes, Christmas
Debut: Good King What’s-his-name. Another
first this year, was the involvement of our
Homework Zone dancers presenting Sugar
Plum Fairy accompanied by Let’s Play! and
the Jazz Orchestra.
18 • USA EAST MUSIC BULLETIN | W I N T E R 2019
A special addition to the program was
having New York Staff Bandsmen, Brindley
Venables, as a soloist. He shared a beautiful
arrangement by Kevin Norbury of the Huron
Carol, which set the tone for congregational
life officer Major Juanita Stanford to remind
all those in attendance why we celebrate the
Christmas Season.
Coming to the end of our program
we featured our beginners again on a fun
piece, Christmas in the Kitchen, a medley of
Christmas songs using pots and pans as the
solo instruments. Vocalist Nikki Paulino joined
the Jazz Orchestra once again and shared
the sentiment with the audience to Have
yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The final
number combined Let’s Play! with the Philly
Kroc Jazz Orchestra in a special arrangement
of We Wish You a Merry Christmas by the Jazz
Orchestra’s music director, Jon Gardner. ■
W W W. M U S I C . S A CO N N E C T S . O R G