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Christmas goes 'pop' with classic and contemporary favourites

Barrie Concert Band leader is especially fond of Leroy Anderson
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The Barrie Concert Band features Christmas favourites Saturday, Dec. 9

Just hearing the name Leroy Anderson brings smiles to the faces of concert-goers; titles like Fiddle Faddle, Blue Tango, Syncopated Clock, and especially, Sleigh Ride, all stir fond memories.

Peter Voisey, who leads the Barrie Concert Band, likes him, too.

“It is old-fashioned pop music and I find it fun and inspired. I have spent my career as a musician playing his music with orchestra and band, and have always loved it. (I’m) looking forward a Barrie Concert Band show in the future dedicated to his music.”

Voisey will be giving the downbeat to the band’s next gig, entitled Christmas Goes Pop, Saturday, Dec. 9 at Collier Street United Church, and has a special affinity for Sleigh Ride, “which we are closing the show with. It does have lyrics that were written after the fact (by Mitchell Parish). I prefer the original as Leroy Anderson wrote it.”

Other holiday favourites will cheer the audience include Winter Wonderland, Little Drummer Boy, I’ll be Home for Christmas, and the more-recent classic by David Foster, My Grown-Up Christmas List. Patrons will also have their fondest memories jogged by the overture from the film Miracle on 34th Street.

The band also has on its list a medley of tunes by Irving Berlin. America’s songwriter-laureate produced such winter chestnuts as I’ve Got my Love to Keep Me Warm, and, of course, the all-time bestseller, White Christmas.

Says Voisey, “Irving Berlin’s music (has) great melodies and memorable lyrics, (which) have made them timeless. Also the films that they now appear in keep them alive in the public’s mind.”

How the reindeer with the funny nose overcame the derision of his peers and helped Santa save Christmas rings true for young and old alike. Plus, the new awareness of bullying prevention in our society – in the workplace, the schoolyard, and on line – brings a special poignancy and relevance to a suite called Rudolph’s Christmas Concert, which Voisey says is “important for me personally, as this was the ‘new’ Christmas music of my own childhood.”

The Barrie Concert Band will also give the audience its turn several times, asking patrons to sing along with Deck the Halls, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Joy to the World, among other selections.

Christmas Goes Pop gets underway at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, at Collier Street United Church, 112 Collier St.

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Glenn Wilkins

About the Author: Glenn Wilkins

Glenn Wilkins, in a 30-year media career, has written for print and electronic media, as well as for TV and radio. Glenn has two books under his belt, profiling Canadian actors on Broadway and NHL coaches.
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