Brian Bell has lived in the Neponset Valley area for over 25 years. He has appeared as a narrator with the Boston Pops (doing “Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus”) with Keith Lockhart conducting.The Parkway Concert Orchestra will present its annual Holiday Pops Concert, 'Holiday Favorites,' on Sunday December 9 at 3 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 100 Winter Street, Norwood. Matthew Fritz conducts the 50 piece non-profit orchestra in classical and pops holiday favorites for the entire family, including selections from The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky, 'A Christmas Festival' by Leroy Anderson, and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' narrated by Brian Bell.
This concert is sponsored by May Funeral Home and the program is supported in part by a grant from the Norwood Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Donation is $15; $10 for seniors and students; and free for children under 12 years old. Light refreshments and free parking are included. For ticket reservations please call 781-762-0288.
| Holiday Favorites | |
|---|---|
| A Canadian Brass Christmas | Arranged by Luther Henderson and Calvin Custer |
| Selections from The Nutcracker Suite No. 2, op. 71b | Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky |
| Festive Sounds of Hanukah | Arranged by Bill Holcombe and Carson Rothrock |
| ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas | Bill Holcombe and Clement Clarke Moore |
| Brian Bell, Narrator | |
| ---Intermission--- | |
| Around the World at Christmas Time | Arranged by Bruce Chase |
| O Holy Night | Adolphe Adam, arranged by Brian Beninati |
| In The Bleak Midwinter | Gustav Holst, arranged by Robert W. Smith and Robert D. McCashin |
| March of the Toys from Babes in Toyland | Victor Herbert, edited by Clark McAlister |
| A Christmas Festival | Leroy Anderson |
Brian Bell has lived in the Neponset Valley area for over 25 years. He has appeared as a narrator with the Boston Pops (doing “Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus”) with Keith Lockhart conducting.
Brian was the assistant conductor of the Parkway Concert Orchestra from 2008 until this past spring. With the ensemble he has led music by Griffes, Bach, Sibelius, Gounod, Dvorak and the first concert performance anywhere of music from Georg Henschel’s 1884 comic operetta A Sea-Change. He studied conducting at the Eastman School of Music and at the New England Conservatory.
Brian was a professional horn player for two decades, performing with the Boston Philharmonic, the Columbus (Ohio) Symphony, Nashua Symphony, the Cape Cod Symphony, the Portland Symphony and many other ensembles. He made several commercial recordings with the Boston Philharmonic, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra.
Brian is probably best known in the area for the live Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts he produced for over two decades. Currently he is producing features and interviews for the Boston Symphony on their website, bso.org. Brian is a contributor to the upcoming Grove Dictionary of American Music.
Left to right: sponsor Robert Folsom, conductor Matthew Fritz, William Scherban, (clarinet and orchestra vice-president) and Leslie Powers (violin and orchestra treasurer).