Musical treat can’t be beat. Fun plans for Thanksgiving weekend
Cape Ann Symphony news about the program:
This annual festive musical celebration led by CAS Conductor and Music Director Yoichi Udagawa features a program of holiday favorites for orchestra and chorus.
“The musicians of the orchestra and I love our Holiday Pops concert,” says CAS Conductor and Music Director Yoichi Udagawa, “We have selected a wide range of music that celebrates the season, and we love sharing it with our wonderful audiences. The Cape Ann Symphony Chorus, now under the direction of Brittany Betts, will be joining us, and it’s always such a joy to collaborate with them. Come join us! We can hardly wait to see you!!”
The Cape Ann Symphony launched The Cape Ann Symphony Chorus under the directions of Wendy Betts at the 2005 Holiday Pops Concert. . The group has performed with the Cape Ann Symphony at Holiday Pops Concerts in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 2013, 2014. 2015, 2016. 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. Holiday Pops 2024 marks the premiere of new Cape Ann Symphony Choral Director Brittany Betts. Brittany Betts took over leadership of the CAS Chorus this fall when her mother Wendy Betts retired as the longtime Choral Director for the CAS Chorus. “I am especially excited for everyone to hear the new iteration of the symphony chorus.” says Brittany Betts, “After a year off following the retirement of my mom, Wendy Betts, who led the chorus with great success for 16 years, it is a great joy and honor to be part of the rebuilding process. Each of the 32 singers had to audition to make the roster since we were creating a smaller chorus. So, voices had to be strong enough to hold their own and have the ability to blend well quickly. I believe we have achieved success. The singers hail from all over the North Shore – Rockport, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Beverly, Peabody, Ipswich and Georgetown. I am also pleased to have the incomparable pianist, Priscilla Walter, who was the chorus accompanist for many years, back at the piano. She is a gift of a collaborator. We are 8 weeks in now and we are sounding great. There is a lot of joyful (and super focused) camaraderie at our rehearsals. Everyone has been committed from day one to bringing light, beauty, love, joy and hope to our community through music. And there is that in spades throughout the whole program! We hope that the audience will leave feeling great – as if they were seen and held, loved and brought together through the music. You know, energized by the spirit of community at its finest. As the final line in the last piece states – “How great our joy!”
The Holiday Pops 2024 concert program includes Anderson’s Christmas Festival; Greensleeves, arranged by Reed; A Christmas Scherzo, arranged by Sebesky; Custer’s Chanukah Festival; and Selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. The Cape Ann Symphony Chorus joins the orchestra to perform Christmas on Broadway, arranged by Higgins; Pinkzebra’s Winter Lullaby; Holcomb’s Festive Sounds of Hannukah 2nd Edition; Rutter’s What Sweeter Music and Rejoice! How Great Our Joy, arranged by McElory. ” CAS Choral Director Brittany Betts offers insight on the Chorus selections in the program, “The chorus will be presenting five beautiful and fun pieces to reflect the holiday and winter season – filled with traditional favorites and new to us pieces. You can expect to tap your feet to a medley of broadway Christmas tunes, and to feel cozy and reflective as the choir sings a tender lullaby about winter and time passing by. We will then honor our Jewish and Christian friends’ traditions with a medley of Hanukkah pieces, and a stunningly beautiful favorite of the classical choral realm – John Rutter’s What Sweeter Music. Finally, we will top it all off with a rousing gospel piece, Rejoice! How Great Our Joy which reflects the jubilance of the Christian Christmas tradition. You will want to stand and clap for sure (and we want you to do so)! Now, don’t worry, we will be inviting the audience to join their voices as one big choir on the sing-a-long as has been a long favored tradition at the Holiday Pops Concerts. So grab your ticket, do your vocal warm-ups and let’s celebrate the season TOGETHER!”
Brittany Betts brings with her a different approach to the choral world having primarily worked as a trumpeter, djembefola (someone who skillfully plays the djembe, a West African drum) collaborator, worship leader, jazz singer and composer. She performs with the David Whitney Orchestra, Riverside Renaissance Swing Band, Cantemus Chamber Chorus and the vocal trio, ONE. In 2023-2024, she served as Artist-in-Residence at First Church Congregational in Swampscott, composing sung liturgies and songs for their Advent and Lenten services. Ms. Betts traveled the country and abroad as a Glocal (local and global combined) Musician Educator and Worship Coordinator with the Global Mission Unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for 10 years. During that time she also served on the music staff of Visible Music College in Memphis, TN where she taught voice, music theory, rock bands, the World Music Ensemble and a guided improvisation class.
About Cape Ann Symphony
Founded in Gloucester in 1951, the Cape Ann Symphony is a professional orchestra of over 70 players from throughout the New England area. They perform a subscription season of four concerts per year plus several Pops and youth concerts. The Symphony Board of Directors named Yoichi Udagawa the Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony in the summer of 2000 after a yearlong search. In addition to his leadership of Cape Ann Symphony, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Maestro Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony. Maestro Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music. His programs often include premieres of new works – some specially commissioned for the orchestra — as well as great orchestral works across the symphonic repertoire and lively Pops programs. He is also an integral part of the Cape Ann Symphony Youth Initiative.
Yoichi Udagawa, the son of a nuclear physicist father and singer/artist mother, was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. His family immigrated to the United States soon thereafter. He began playing the violin at age four and made his conducting debut at age fifteen. After receiving a music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, he continued advanced studies in conducting with Gunther Schuller, Seiji Ozawa, Morihiro Okabe, and Henry Charles Smith. A fan of many different styles of music, Mr. Udagawa also enjoys performing gospel music in addition to his conducting activities. He is also an accomplished violinist and an avid fan of exercise and yoga.”/ End.
Good Morning Gloucester 