Johnstown Symphony Orchestra Invites the Community to their December Family Holidays Concerts

Johnstown, PA – The Johnstown Symphony Orchestra (JSO) Family Holidays Concert will have two performances this year at the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center. Audiences can enjoy either a 3:00pm matinee or a 7:30pm evening performance on Saturday, December 14th.

Santa and his reindeer will be special guests in the lobby before both performances.

Our December Holiday Pops concert celebrates the strength that FAMILY provides to this community.

In addition to the Orchestra, the concert features the Johnstown Symphony Chorus under the direction of Jeffrey Webb, the children’s chorus, “Inclined to Sing,” under the direction of Emily Roy, and the opportunity for audience members to join in a sing-along of holiday favorites.

“We have programmed a beautiful mix of music that is both celebratory, with new jazz arrangements of Jingle Bells and even jazz big band arrangements of the Nutcracker for full orchestra, as well as expressing the joy and mystery of the season, with music from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, one of the greatest choral masterworks, in a new arrangement I created for the chorus and orchestra that showcase their remarkable talents,” says James Blachly, Music Director of the JSO. “The first half closes with Believe from the Polar Express, which reminds us all of the magic of the season, and this year we are thrilled to feature local music educator Daniel Hutton on jazz saxophone.”

“The JSO Chorus will perform a set of three pieces as part of the Family Holidays concert,” says Jeffrey Webb, Director of the Johnstown Symphony Chorus. “The Chorus will open their portion of the program with a traditional Christmas Carol from eastern Spain, called Fum, Fum, Fum. The carol was popularized in the United States through the arrangement the chorus will perform, written by Robert Shaw and Alice Parker in 1953. This will be followed by a spirited arrangement of the English Carol Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day by John Gardner. The chorus will end their solo set with Hodie by John Leavitt.”

Purchase your tickets by going to johnstownsymphony.org, or by calling the box office at (814) 535-6738. The box office hours are 10:00am-3:00pm Tuesday through Friday.

The JSO gratefully acknowledges Mr. and Mrs. James and Karen Hargreaves, Dr. Magdi and Karen Azer, McKinley Carter Wealth Services, and Milkie’s Lawn and Landscape for sponsoring these December concerts.

The JSO also recognizes our 2024/25 Leadership Sponsors: 1st Summit Bank, AmeriServ, Concurrent Technologies Corporation, Somerset Trust Company, and Sposto Interactive.