Holiday Dreams: Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and Alexandria Choral Society Perform Dec. 8
ALEXANDRIA, VA-Get ready for the holiday season with a special Christmas concert on Saturday, Dec. 8. The Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic will play the George Washington Masonic National Memorial (101 Callahan Drive). The concert, which begins at 3 p.m., is a collaboration with Alexandria Choral Society.
The program, Holiday Dreams, is for all ages. A press release says the concert “combines classic pieces with imaginative twists, creating a varied musical experience that captures the essence of the season.”
Featured performances imclude:
Grace-Evangeline Mason’s The Imagined Forest: This piece opens the concert with a wintery
soundscape, drawing listeners into a peaceful, snow-dusted forest filled with light and wonder.
Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite: Ellington’s jazz adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker takes familiar holiday themes and gives them a playful, swinging rhythm that transforms the music into something entirely fresh yet nostalgic.
Holiday Choral Selections with the Alexandria Choral Society:
The concert’s second half features holiday choral works. Highlights include: “Santa Lucia,” a traditional Swedish carol that celebrates light during winter’s longest nights; “Go, Tell It on the Mountain,” an uplifting spiritual that brings a joyful energy to the season; “Balulalow” from Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, a gentle lullaby steeped in holiday spirit; Temporal by Diana Saez, a festive piece that draws on Latin American holiday traditions.
The concert closes with “A Musicological Journey Through the 12 Days of Christmas,” an arrangement that brings each verse of the classic carol to life in different styles, from Mozart to Sousa.
Following the performance, stay in your seat for AfterChats. These are free question and answer sessions with the Philharmonic’s Music Director Anna Binneweg. and guest artists. The moderator is Executive and Artistic Planning Director Caroline Mousset.
For tickets and more information, click HERE.
SEE ALSO: City of Alexandria’s Kicks Off the Holiday Season with Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony
