AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT
What a month it has been! I don't recall ever having this much fun during the holidays for quite some time (this coming from a guy who's been conducting Christmas programs every season for at least 15 years). It's easy for the memory to lose track and to confuse one concert from the other as they can all be very similar in style and content. This year I decided to do two completely different programs--one very spiritual and serious, which included some of the seasons most beautiful and solemn music, and the other just pure fun and "folly"! It all started out a year and a half ago when at the time there was talk of bringing the Boston Pops to town. Although those plans eventually fell through, at the time we knew that our usual holiday fare would be severely eclipsed, necessitating the need for us to do something completely different in anticipation of their arrival (hence the two different approaches in our Christmas programming). Add the fact that "Follies" too has lost its home in the Paramount, I've also noted widespread concern that a long time Cedar Rapids tradition could be at risk of disappearing. I hope we've put those concerns to rest over the weekend. Our holiday show (Follidays: Hooray for Holidays!) was a whole lot of high energy fun with great singing and dancing and good humor! Now that we've figured out how to maximize the space at Sinclair Auditorium and have gauged the span it takes to rehearse a cast in this busy time, next year we can enhance the production value and add a few numbers to really put it over the top. I am extremely grateful to the cast and crew, most of whom have volunteered months of their time to make this production a success, and it humbles me that so many people would work for free on our behalf to ensure that the symphony and "Follies" could enjoy such a smash hit and plant the seeds to what is sure to become another long time seasonal tradition. I thank them all for that extraordinary holiday gift, and in turn I would like to wish YOU a safe and happy holiday season, and a wonderful, prosperous New Year.