The New Philharmonia Orchestra’s newly named Music Director, Jorge Soto, along with a special guest, opens the 2024-25 season at 3pm at Grace Episcopal Church, 76 Eldredge St. in Newton Corner. Jorge Soto is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist with an active and diverse career in both North and South America and served as the Associate Conductor of New Phil for several years before being named Principal Conductor in 2020. In 2023, Mr. Soto became Principal Conductor of the United Nations Festival Orchestra for Hope. He is also the Principal Guest Conductor of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra in Worcester.

Music Director, Jorge Soto                            Celebrating its 30th anniversary as Newton’s hometown orchestra this concert will feature two monumental works. Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, a composition that is uniquely American in spirit and employs Abraham Lincoln’s own words as the narration, and, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor Op. 36, which the composer considered his “best symphonic work ever.” Stating also, ” There is not a note in this symphony which I did not feel deeply, and which did not serve as an echo of sincere impulses within my soul.” For this special concert, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller will be the guest narrator. Jorge Soto shared, ” Mayor Fuller joins an illustrious roster who have shared Lincoln’s words since Copland wrote the piece in 1942 including Eleanor Roosevelt, poet Carl Sandburg, actor Henry Fonda and civil rights icon Coretta Scott King.” Soto continues, “This promises to be an exciting season,” said Maestro Soto, who has been principal conductor for New Phil for the past four years. “Not only is the orchestra celebrating 30 years of being part of this community, but this coincides with the City of Newton’s 150th anniversary. We are looking forward to strengthening ties with our hometown.” Tickets and information for all New Phil programs this season can be found at this link…wwwnewphil.org

NOVEMBER 29 & 30: BRETT ELDREDGE’S GLOW: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY TOUR

The Wang Theatre, Boch Center, at 270 Tremont St. in Boston brings to their stage the opening of this brilliant singer’s 12 stop tour. Eldredge shared about the tour, “I feel honored that these Christmas shows have became such a tradition for so many families to get in the spirit of the season. This upcoming tour is going to be sprinkled with some extra magic, new original Christmas songs and classic holiday stories. My goal is for everyone to feel right at home and leave as part of one BIG beautiful family! Merry Christmas, welcome to the Family! Let’s Glow!” The tour, features support from Stacey Ryan. Brett Eldredge is an award-winning Illinois-born and Nashville-based multiplatinum singer, songwriter, producer, and entertainer. Since 2010 Brett has earned a reputation as an eloquently clever songwriter, a show-stopping performer, and with a growing catalog boasting a pair of Gold-certified albums and nine singles certified either Gold or Platinum by the RIAA. Beyond gathering billions of streams, he has notched seven #1’s on Country Radio, launched two albums into the Top 3 of the Billboard 200, and taken home various honors at the CMA Awards, ACM Awards, and BMI Country Awards. He also served up two fan-favorite holiday albums, Glow [2016] and Mr. Christmas [2021]. Among many highlights, his cover of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside!” [feat. Meghan Trainor] emerged as a staple, generating over 207 million Spotify streams and counting. Glow ignited the spark for the annual Glow tour. He draws listeners right into the magnetic pull of the holidays sound tracked by boisterous big band orchestration, heartfelt balladry, and simultaneously warm and robust vocals. Tickets may be purchased at www.bochcenter.org

DECEMBER 2 (7pm): HOLIDAY BRASS QUINTET

Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra brings this fun and fabulous holiday concert to the Allen Center for Arts and Culture at 35 Webster Street, West Newton. It is the first concert of their season’s Salon Series and will feature traditional holiday favorites. “The holiday season is a time that brass players look forward to every year,” said Pro Arte’s principal horn player Robert Marlatt. “So much great music has been written over the centuries that put the sound of trumpets and horns out front for all to hear.” This year’s concert will include music by Handel and Bach, along with traditional carols and more familiar popular Christmas songs. “This is a relatively new holiday tradition for Pro Arte, which we started as an online concert during the pandemic. We are thrilled that we’ve continued to do it annually ever since live and in person,” declared Marlatt. Each performance features a select handful of musicians from Pro Arte’s cooperative along with occasional guest artists feom various musical gems that are not routinely featured in the full orchestral Ensemble Series. The quaertet features tremdncous resumes for all four. Dana Russian, the principal trumpet of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra and a member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Joseph Foley, principal trumpet of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra of Houston, Texas. He is also on the Trumpet Faculty at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Robert Marlatt is principal horn of Pro Arte and a prominent freelance musician in the Boston area. And finally, Trombone player, Hans Bohn, member of the Boston Ballet Orchestra and many others along with being on the faculties at Boston University and New England Conservatory of Music as well as Tanglewood Music Center. Founded in 1978 by Harvard chaplain and visionary Larry Hill, Pro Arte is a professional, musician-led cooperative chamber orchestra that shares its passion for music through exceptional performances that enrich, engage, and educate. Additionally, there will also be a 2pm matinee performance at the Scandinavian Cultural Center, 206 Waltham St. in West Newton. Tickets can be found at this link at www.proarte.org

DEC. 5 (7:30pm): VIENNA BOYS CHOIR

Spectacle Live Presents at Cary Memorial Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington the modern Vienna Boys Choir, It is said to Modern, as it bears little resemblance to the original group of six boys invited to sing at the Viennese court many centuries ago. Today, the Vienna Boys Choir consists of 100 boys between the ages of ten and fourteen, extracted from dozens of nations, and divided into four touring groups. Each group spends nine to eleven weeks of the school year on tour. Between them, the four choirs give 300 concerts and performances each year before almost half a million people. They visit virtually all European countries, and are frequent guests in Asia, Australia, and the Americas. The Vienna Boys Choir also has a close association with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Together with members of the orchestra and the men of the Vienna State Opera Chorus, the choir maintains the tradition of the imperial musicians: as Hofmusikkapelle (Chapel Imperial) as they still provide the music for Sunday mass in Vienna’s Imperial Chapel, having done so since 1498. The group is active in education and community engagement, sponsoring music academies in both Vienna and Hong Kong. The VBC performs music from all over the world and has for years commissioned new music as well. The Choir has been active since the 1930s, appearing on practically every major label as well as in films and TV. Tickets for this stunning concert may be obtained here at www.CaryHallLexington.com

DEC. 15: NEW PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA’S HOLIDAY CONCERT

This Holiday Concert will be held at the Brown Middle School, 125 Meadowbrook Road in Newton Center. Members of the Boston Ballet School will be joining with the New Phil for this annual family holiday concert. The fun and festive program features holiday favorites including excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker as well as many other seasonal favorites. Tickets and information for this concert that will assuredly make your holiday season “merry and bright” may be obtained at wwwnewphil.org

JAN. 10: AN EVENING WITH YO-YO MA (REFLECTIONS IN WORDS AND MUSIC)

   Music Worcester proudly brings to the stage of the historic Mechanics Hall at 321 Main St. in Worcester. This is an Arthur M. & Martha R. Pappas Foundation Annual Concert, “Our patrons and supporters are clearly excited to experience Yo-Yo Ma’s legendary artistry back in Worcester for his first visit since 2019,” said Adrien Finlay, Music Worcester’s Executive Director. “If the pre-sale activity is any indication for this latest program of his coming in January, the remaining tickets will sell-out quickly.” Yo-Yo Ma’s name is recognized throughout the world. He has recorded more than 120 albums, is the winner of 19 Grammy Awards, and has performed for nine American presidents, most recently on the occasion of President Biden’s inauguration. He has received numerous awards, including the National Medal of the Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He has been a UN Messenger of Peace since 2006 and was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020. His multi-faceted career is testament to his belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. Whether performing new or familiar works for cello, Yo-Yo strives to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity. This special event with Yo-Yo Ma will include a repertoire from the center of his musical firmament with reflections on how it has shaped his thinking about art, human nature, and our search for meaning. Together, the cellist’s music and his words ask us to consider what music is for, and how it can guide us on a path towards hope. Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris, where he began studying the cello with his father at age four. When he was seven, he moved with his family to New York City, where he continued his cello studies before pursuing a liberal arts education and then his outstanding skills and popularity exploded onto the world stage. For tickets and more information for this surely to be unforgettable event, visit here at www.musicworcester.org