December 6, 2025 [Huntersville, North Carolina] – On Saturday, December 6 all of NCYO’s performing ensembles came together to present an exciting holiday showcase. This performance marked the first time this season that audience members had the privilege of hearing all of NCYO’s performing ensembles in one great concert.
Brass Ensemble opened the show with Bach’s deeply somber “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” which features rich harmonies and dynamic shifts. They continued with Mendelssohn’s classic Hark! The Herald Angels Sing before Junior Brass Ensemble joined them on stage to perform “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”.
Woodwind Ensemble captured the audience’s attention with a unique piece called “House of the Rising Bells”. This arrangement by Tyler Arcari combines two well known folk tunes “House of the Rising Sun” and “Ukrainian Bell Carol”. No holiday season is complete without curling up on the couch to enjoy some Christmas movies. Woodwind Ensemble brought two of these movies to life with their performances of Music from Frozen and “The Polar Express”. Junior Woodwind Ensemble then took their places on stage for a combined performance of the classic Christmas tunes “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”.
Following a brief intermission, NCYO’s strings ensembles took the stage. Sinfonia Strings Ensemble was joined by Philharmonic to perform “Joyful Celebration” a medley of Christmas carols by Brian Balmages. Sinfonia Strings then excited the stage as Orchestra took their places for a combined performance with Philharmonic for the final pieces of the afternoon. Together they performed a variety of pieces including well-known classics such as “Sleigh Ride”, and “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”. They closed out the afternoon with NCYO’s traditional Christmas Sing-A-Long followed by “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”.
