November 2007

Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra presents "Holiday Pops!" concert Dec. 7 in Niceville

(NICEVILLE, FLORIDA) -  The sounds of the holiday season will fill the air December 7 as the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra (NFSO) presents a “Holiday Pops!” concert. The event features the Northwest Florida Symphony Chorus in performance with the symphony, guest soloists and more and will be held at the Mattie Kelly Fine and Performing Arts Center at the Okaloosa-Walton College Niceville campus at 7:30 p.m.

Advance tickets are now available from the box office for $22.50 each by phone, by web or in person. OWC Mattie Kelly Arts Center box office hours are 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday and 90 minutes prior to the performance. At-the-door seats, if available, are also $22.50. Call the box office at 729-6000 or visit the Mattie Kelly Arts Center website at www.owc.edu/arts for online ticket sales. See the NFSO website at www.nfsymphony.org for additional information.

According to NFSO Maestro Jeffrey Rink, the “Holiday Pops!” concert will provide a “true evening for everyone with popular holiday fare, a carol sing-along with the audience and traditional Christmas music.” Featured will be soloists Jeremy Ribando and Allison Everitt in Fantasia and O Holy Night, the Corelli Christmas Concerto Op. 6 No.8, Handel’s Pifa and Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah, festive works for brass choir, carols and Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride.

The concert is one of two during the season that features the Northwest Florida Symphony Chorus, a 75 member group that is comprised of talented vocalists from throughout the region. The chorus is under the direction of Lois Van Dam.”This concert, featuring full orchestra and chorus as well as some fun participation from the audience, will be a great way to ring in the season,” noted Rink.

Also available now are tickets for 2008 NFSO concerts including the “Stars of Tomorrow” concert on February 22, 2008 with prestigious Concerto Competition winners who will dazzle audience members with their polish and virtuosity as they perform with the NFSO. This concert will feature the Rossini Overture to the Barber of Seville and The Story of Babar, The Little Elephant by Poulenc with a special guest narrator. “The Concerto Competition winners are always truly stunning and this event is one of the favorites of our long-time NFSO patrons,” said Rink. “Babar the Elephant is a charming piece that is always popular with audiences of all ages.”

Tickets for “Beethoven and Friends” on April 18, 2008 are also available as the NFSO evokes powerful emotions of sorrow, joy and hope in the orchestra’s spectacular season finale. Begin the evening experiencing Mendelssohn’s Overture to the Beautiful Melusine, based on the timeless classical tale of the Little Mermaid. Then, feel the joy and hope brought out in the Lord Nelson Mass by Franz Josef Haydn, presented with the Northwest Florida Symphony Chorus. Beethoven’s “Symphony of the Dance,” or Symphony No. 7 in A major will provide a powerful and jubilant conclusion to this exciting season with the NFSO.

Prior to joining the NFSO July 1, Maestro Rink served concurrently as the Music Director of Chorus pro Musica in Boston, Massachusetts and the Newton Symphony Orchestra, Director of Orchestral Activities at the Longy School of Music, where he conducted the Longy Chamber Orchestra, and was on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts in Boston. He was previously conductor of the New England Philharmonic for eight years in which he won four ASCAP awards for adventuresome programming and commitment to new music.

The talented professional musicians who perform with the NFSO come from across the greater panhandle region and many of the symphony’s guest artists have an international reputation. The professional orchestra has performed continuously each season since 1987, providing cultural programs to thousands of area residents in its 20-year history.