Holiday Pops with the Concord Band

Featuring Guest Artist John Ferrillo
Principal Oboe with the BSO

December 11 & 12, 2015

Review by Vanessa Rene

The Concord Band has proven once again that music makes the holidays brighter with their annual Holiday Pops program this past weekend. Normally, we don’t write reviews of Pops programs because, after all, they’re Pops programs, right?  This one was completely different, though, through the addition of solo performances by John Ferrillo, Principal Oboist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  His inspired performances left the audience transfixed, including this reviewer and several of her friends in the audience who are, after all, students of the oboe as well.

The Concord Band is a gem, and the Greater Boston community is very fortunate to have this group as a cornerstone of the community.  They performed several well-known favorites, such as Overture to a Winter Festival by James Curnow (commissioned by the Concord Band in 1995), Chanukah is Here by Calvin Custer, Swingin’ Santa, arranged by William McManus and Auld Lang Syne, a stirring and emotional arrangement of the traditional theme by the late William Toland, founding director of the Concord Band and long-time educator in the Bedford School System.  These winter favorites were played cleanly and crisply, as is to be expected of this high-caliber performing group.

The Band also performed some pieces that were featured in their Autumn Concert:   Old Churches, by Michael Colgrass, Carmina Burana, mvts. 12 and 13, by Carl Orff (band arrangement by J. Krance), and Incantation and Dance, by John Barnes Chance—all intense and compelling pieces.

A new piece, Minor Alterations by David Lovrien, consists of many old favorite Christmas melodies set in a minor mode.  Conducted by Assistant Director Steve Barbas, it is a bit like “Mary Poppins” meets “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and was thoroughly delightful.

BSO Principal Oboist John Ferrillo to Perform

John Ferrillo
Principal Oboe, Boston Symphony Orchestra

The Concord Band is honored to have John Ferrillo, principal oboe of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as its soloist for the Holiday Pops concerts on December 11 and 12, 2015. John Ferrillo grew up in Bedford, playing oboe in the concert band of Bedford High School under the Concord Band’s first music director, William M. Toland. Ferrillo will play three numbers for oboe and wind ensemble in his appearance with the Concord Band: Autumn Soliloquy by James Barnes, Gabriel’s Oboe by Ennio Morricone from the 1986 movie The Mission, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Variations on a Theme by Glinka.

Harvard resident John Ferrillo played oboe in the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and attended Curtis Institute. Prior to joining the BSO in 2001, Ferrillo was the principal oboe in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has taught and performed at the Aspen and Waterloo festivals and currently serves on the faculty of the New England Conservatory, Boston University, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.

It’s Time to Make Your Concord Band Holiday Pops Reservations

Holiday Pops 2105 Poster

Now is the time to make your reservations for the Concord Band’s annual Holiday Pops concerts, to be held at the Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden Street in Concord on December 11th and 12th at 8:00 PM. Guest artist: Boston Symphony Orchestra principal oboist John Ferrillo. There’s no better way to begin the holiday season than to enjoy an evening of great music and fun in the festive 51 Walden holiday atmosphere! Holiday Pops with the Concord Band has become a tradition with many area families and sells out early. Table seating is priced at $25 per adult and $15 per child (under 12), including beverages and snacks. Return your reservation card today! Holiday Pops reservations can also be made by visiting concordband.org or by calling 978-897-9969.