Arapahoe Philharmonic Presents “Holiday Fireworks”
Denver – The Arapahoe Philharmonic (AP), under the direction of Devin Patrick Hughes, presents the third of six subscription concerts on Friday, December 11, 2015, at Mission Hills Church, 620 SouthPark Drive, Littleton, CO 80120. The concert, titled “Holiday Fireworks,” includes festive music by George Frideric Handel, Anatoly Liadov, Otto Nicolai, and Sergei Prokofiev, and settings of beloved holiday classics including Adeste Fidelis and Stille Nacht. Maestro Hughes will give a pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks was spectacular enough to cause the first traffic jam in history. Originally written for a large wind ensemble, including 24 oboes, 12 bassoons, and 9 trumpets, Handel rescored it for orchestra for a performance at the Foundling Hospital. Prokofiev initially wrote his Overture on Hebrew Themes for the unusual combination of clarinet, string quartet and piano, but later reluctantly reworked the piece for orchestra. Liadov’s Eight Russian Folk Songs offers a variety of tempos and themes colorfully orchestrated to bring the tales to life. This is followed by the overture to Nicolai’s popular opera, The Merry Wives of Windsor, based on the Shakespeare play of the same name. The program will also include Arthur Harris’ setting of Adeste Fidelis, Chip Davis’ Stille Nacht, and the audience singing iconic carols with orchestra.
For more information and tickets, visit www.arapahoe-phil.org or call the Arapahoe Philharmonic office at 303-781-1892.
About the Arapahoe Philharmonic
Founded in 1953, the Arapahoe Philharmonic is among the longest established, continuously operating musical resources in Colorado. After thriving under just two conductors between 1953 and 2012, T. Gordon Parks and Vincent C. LaGuardia, Jr., we welcomed the exciting new conductor Devin Patrick Hughes to the podium in the 2013-2014 season. The orchestra’s musicians are primarily volunteers playing for the love of music, with a core of compensated section principals who provide technical leadership and support the excellence of performance.
Concerts in our home of Mission Hills Church in Littleton feature repertoire spanning the centuries, from the great masters to composers of the current day. The Philharmonic is invested in future generations, presenting annual children’s concerts, sponsoring outreach to schools, and presenting three collegiate-level competitions, the T. Gordon Parks Memorial Concerto Competition and the Vincent C. LaGuardia, Jr. Conducting and Composition Competitions.
About the Music Director
Devin Patrick Hughes was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Arapahoe Philharmonic in summer of 2013. He had previously held conducting posts with the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association, Denver Contemporary Chamber Players, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, Denver Young Artists Orchestra and Lamont Symphony Orchestra. He is also currently Music Director of the Boulder Symphony Orchestra. Hughes was the only American selected with eleven other finalists in the Arturo Toscanini International Conducting Competition in Parma, Italy. More information may be found at www.devinpatrickhughes.com.
