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THE BOSTON POPS ON TOUR
KEITH LOCKHART, Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor
JOHN WILLIAMS, George and Roberta Berry Boston Pops Conductor Laureate
KEITH LOCKHART conducting with The Metropolitan Chorale, William Cutter, conductor
2025 HOLIDAY TOUR
Hallelujah, from Christ on the Mount of Olives Beethoven
Polonaise, from Christmas Eve Rimsky-Korsakov
Villancico Mexicano
Jaramillo/Aguirre—arr. RodrĂguez
Deck the Hall arr. Craig Leon
A Christmas Carol arr. Sebesky
Text by Charles Dickens
Jeremiah Kissel, narrator
INTERMISSION
The Holly Jolly Jingle arr. Chase
Theme from “Elf” Debney—arr. Grassi
Dancing Dreidel arr. DiLorenzo
The Twelve Days of Christmas arr. Chase
Kije Takes a Ride Prokofiev—arr. Nestico
Sleigh Ride Anderson—arr. Goldberg/Burton
A Visit from St. Nicholas (’Twas the Night Before Christmas) Reisman
Text by Clement C. Moore
John Little, narrator
’Zat You, Santa Claus? Fox—arr. Chase/Elliott
A Merry Little Sing-Along arr. Reisman
Steve Colby, Sound Designer | Pam Smith, Lighting Designer
The Boston Pops Orchestra may be heard on Boston Pops Recordings, RCA Victor, Sony Classical and Philips Records.
Keith Lockhart
Keith Lockhart, celebrating his 30th year as Boston Pops Conductor, is the second longest-tenured conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra since its founding in 1885. He took over as conductor in 1995, following John Williams’s thirteen-year tenure from 1980 to 1993; Mr. Williams succeeded the legendary Arthur Fiedler, who was at the helm of the orchestra for nearly fifty years. Keith Lockhart, who occupies the Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor chair, has conducted more than 2,250 Boston Pops concerts and annual Boston Pops appearances at Tanglewood, as well as 45 national tours and 5 international tours to Japan and Korea. The annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular conducted by Mr. Lockhart draws a live audience of over half a million to the Charles River Esplanade and millions more who view it on television or live webcast. With the Pops he has recorded fourteen albums, eight of them on RCA Victor/BMG Classics; recent releases of Boston Pops Recordings include A Boston Pops Christmas–Live from Symphony Hall, The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers, and Lights, Camera… Music! Six Decades of John Williams. The list of more than 350 guest artists with whom Keith Lockhart has collaborated represents performers from virtually every corner of the entertainment world. Having recently completed an eight-year tenure as principal conductor, he is now chief guest conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in London; he is also artistic director of the Brevard Music Center summer institute and festival in North Carolina. Prior to his BBC appointment, he spent eleven years as music director of the Utah Symphony. He has appeared as a guest conductor with virtually every major symphonic ensemble in North America and many in Asia and Europe. Before coming to Boston, he was the associate conductor of both the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops orchestras, as well as music director of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. For more on Keith Lockhart, visit bso.org/keithlockhart or bostonpops.org.
The Boston Pops
Led by conductor Keith Lockhart, the Boston Pops, known affectionately as “America’s Orchestra,” performs an exciting and eclectic mix of orchestral arrangements from a wide range of traditions including Broadway and the great American songbook, film music, classical, jazz, pop, country, folk, and, of course, holiday classics. The Pops was created in 1885 as the “light classical” summer-season venture of the Boston Symphony. The Boston Pops Orchestra reached its current iconic status during the 50-year tenure of the legendary Arthur Fiedler, who was succeeded in 1980 by the equally renowned film composer John Williams. Keith Lockhart took the helm in 1995 and is currently celebrating his 30th anniversary season. It was Fiedler who started the tradition of Pops performances on the Charles River Esplanade, including the annual Fourth of July celebration, brought the Pops to television with Evening at Pops (1970-2004), and initiated Holiday Pops, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2023. Fiedler welcomed dynamic, world-class guest artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Julia Child, and Bob Hope. That tradition continues today with Keith Lockhart working with such stars as Brian Stokes Mitchell, The B-52s, Chaka Khan, Nick Jonas, and Rhiannon Giddens. Through it all the orchestra has remained one of the most recorded, familiar, and beloved ensembles in the world today.
The Metropolitan Chorale
Founded in 1979, The Metropolitan Chorale (metropolitanchorale.org) is an auditioned chorus that is recognized as one of metropolitan Boston’s premier choral ensembles. Since 2004 the ensemble has been under the direction of Dr. Lisa Graham, 2021 winner of the American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting. Metropolitan Chorale concerts explore works by many of today’s leading American and British composers, as well as major choral masterworks. In addition to performances at All Saints Parish (Brookline, Massachusetts), the Chorale has been heard throughout the Boston area. Its Artists in Residence program enables the chorus to work with young professional singers. The Metropolitan Chorale was prepared for its Holiday Pops 2025 concerts by William Cutter, director of choral programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and professor of core studies at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Dr. Cutter studied composition at the Boston University School of Music with Pulitzer Prize-winning composers David Del Tredici and Bernard Rands. Cutter has been the assistant conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus under founding conductor, the late John Oliver, as well as chorus master for Boston Lyric Opera and Odyssey Opera. He is also the founder and artistic codirector of the Boston Conservatory’s vocal/choral intensive.
Jeremiah Kissel (narrator for A Christmas Carol)
Jeremiah Kissel is thrilled to be back onstage with the Boston Pops, where previous performances include The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers, Casey at the Bat, The Composer is Dead, Here Comes a Bold Umbrellaphant, From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond, A Christmas Carol, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express, and, of course, Star Wars: The Story in Music. With other orchestras he has performed The Carnival of the Animals, Ellis Island: The Dream of America, Peter and the Wolf, The Wizard of Menlo Park, A Kennedy Portrait, and L’Histoire du Soldat. With the BSO he has performed The Defiant Requiem, Porgy and Bess, and Bluebeard’s Castle. A forty-year veteran of Boston’s professional stages, Kissel has played leading roles for the Huntington, American Repertory, New Repertory, and Merrimack Repertory theaters, as well as the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, the Lyric Stage, Shear Madness, and various out-of-town companies passing through Boston. Most recent roles include Bernie Madoff, Cyrano, Tevye, Scrooge, and Richard Nixon. Screen credits include “The Town,” “The Fighter,” “Joy,” “Stronger,” “Castle Rock,” “Body of Proof,” and HBO’s “Julia.” Kissel is the winner of several Norton awards, several IRNEs, an Arts Impulse, and a Helen Hayes Award, and in 2003 he received Boston’s highest onstage recognition, the Norton Prize for sustained excellence.
John Little (narrator for A Visit from St. Nicholas)
John Little graduated from the Yale School of Drama in 1984 and has performed in national and international tours, regional theatres, and offBroadway. He has recently narrated a series of Westerns for Recorded Books (Audible) and many books for the Library of Congress. He is back in Worcester returning to the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge for a fourth year in Troy Siebels’ A Christmas Carol, on this very stage December 17-28!
A MERRY LITTLE SING-ALONG
arr. Reisman
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER
Words and music by Johnny Marks
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, Had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw it, You would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names. They never let poor Rudolph Join in any reindeer games.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say: “Rudolph, with your nose so bright, Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then how the reindeer loved him, As they shouted out with glee: “Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, You’ll go down in history!”
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
Words and music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light; From now on, our troubles will be out of sight. Have yourself a merry little Christmas, make the Yuletide gay; From now on, our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days, Happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who are dear to us Gather near to us once more.
Through the years we all will be together, if the Fates allow; Hang a shining star upon the highest bough, And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW!
Words by Sammy Cahn
Music by Jule Styne
Oh! the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we’ve no place to go, Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! It doesn’t show signs of stopping, And I brought some corn for popping; The lights are turned ’way down low. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
When we finally kiss goodnight, How I’ll hate going out in the storm! But if you’ll really hold me tight, All the way home I’ll be warm.
The fire is slowly dying,
And my dear, we’re still good-bye-ing. But as long as you love me so, Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
THE CHRISTMAS SONG
Words and music by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, And folks dressed up like Eskimos.
Ev’rybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright. Tiny tots with their eyes all a-glow Will find it hard to sleep tonight.
They know that Santa’s on his way, He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And ev’ry mother’s child is gonna spy To see if reindeer really know how to fly.
And so I’m offering this simple phrase To kids from one to ninety-two, Al-tho’ it’s been said many times, many ways: Merry Christmas to you.
A MERRY LITTLE SING-ALONG
arr. Reisman
WINTER WONDERLAND
Words by Dick Smith
Music by Felix Bernard
Sleigh-bells ring, are you list’nin’?
In the lane, snow is glist’nin’. A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight, Walkin’ in a winter wonderland!
Gone away is the blue-bird, Here to stay is a new bird. He sings a love song, as we go along, Walkin’ in a winter wonderland!
In the meadow we can build a snowman, Then pretend that he is Parson Brown: He’ll say, “Are you married?” We’ll say, “No, man! But you can do the job when you’re in town”
Later on, we’ll conspire, As we dream by the fire, To face unafraid, the plans that we made, Walkin’ in a winter wonderland!
JINGLE BELLS
Words and music by J. S. Pierpont
Dashing thro’ the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh, O’er the fields we go, laughing all the way; Bells on bobtail ring, making spirits bright; What fun it is to ride and sing A sleigh-ing song to-night.—Oh!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh-eigh!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one—horse o—pen sleigh!
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