December 20, 2025 at 7:30pm
Mount Pisgah Church
Alpharetta, GA – USA
Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra; Henry Cheng, conductor; Maria McDaniel Willathaamuwa, vicalist; Jordan Dowdle, slapstick; Christmas Voices of Johns Creek; Fleetwood Dance Center.
Leroy ANDERSON: A Christmas Festival
Pyotr TCHAIKOVSKY: Nutcracker Suite (selections)
Joan JAVITS & Philip (“Tony”) SPRINGER: “Santa Baby”
Mel TORMÉ & Bob WELLS: “The Christmas Song”
TRADITIONAL: “Angels We Have Heard on High”
George BIZET: “Farandole” from L’Arlesienne Suite no. 2
Irving BERLIN: “White Christmas”
Leroy ANDERSON: Sleigh Ride
Gene AUTREY & Oakley HALDMAN: “Here Comes Santa Claus”
Katherine Kennicott DAVIS: “Little Drummer Boy”
Singalong:
Isaac WATTS: “Joy to the World”
John Francis WADE: “O Come,All Ye Faithful”
Thomas OLIPHANT: “Deck the Halls”
Franz Xavier GRUBER: “Silent Night”
Mount Pisgah Church
Alpharetta, GA – USA
Mark Gresham | 30 DEC 2025
The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra framed its December 20 evening program as a family gathering, and the result felt closer to a neighborhood tradition than a formal concert outing. Titled Imagine: From Our Family to Yours, the evening at Mount Pisgah Church in Alpharetta brought together the orchestra, chorus, dancers, and a guest vocalist for a seasonal sampler designed to welcome listeners of all ages.
Under the direction of Henry Cheng, the orchestra leaned into the familiar pleasures of holiday repertoire without trying to disguise its intentions. Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival opened the program in bright, efficient fashion, stitching together carols that needed little introduction. Selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite followed, offering a nod to classical ballet tradition that remains a December touchstone, even outside major urban centers.
The four Nutcracker selections featured young dancers from the Fleetwood Dance Center, which had performed The Nutcracker ballet in late November at the Eagle Theater in Sugar Hill. A larger group of Fleetwood dancers joined the orchestra later for “March of the Toy Soldiers” from Victor Herbert’s Babes in Toyland. The dance numbers gave younger audience members something visual to latch onto while underscoring the concert’s emphasis on accessibility rather than formality.
The concert’s collaborative spirit was evident throughout. The Christmas Voices of Johns Creek joined the orchestra for several selections, adding a communal dimension that fit the program’s theme.
Vocalist Maria McDaniel Willathaamuwa brought a warm, unforced presence to popular standards such as “Santa Baby” and “The Christmas Song,” followed by a “rock” version of “Angels We Have Heard on High.” These moments shifted the mood from orchestral showcase to fireside familiarity, reinforcing the sense that the concert was meant to be shared rather than scrutinized. Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” delivered without excessive sentiment, landed as a collective memory more than a solo turn.
The program mixed styles freely. Bizet’s “Farandole” from L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2 provided a brisk, rhythmically driven contrast, while Anderson’s perennial Sleigh Ride drew knowing smiles from the audience, its musical sound effects as recognizable as ever. The famous cracks of the whip were brought to the forefront by having Jordan Dowdle, play the “slapstick” part as a soloist standing to the left of Cheng’s podium.
“Here Comes Santa Claus” coincided with the arrival of the Jolly Old Man himself, who added a touch of lighthearted comedy to the mix.
“Little Drummer Boy” rounded out the main set, introduced by a marching drum line that processed down the center aisle of the Mt. Pisgah sanctuary ahead of the Christmas Voices of Johns Creek singers, keeping the focus squarely on seasonal recognition.
The evening concluded with a singalong that made the concert’s intentions unmistakable. With “Joy to the World,” “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Silent Night,” the line between performers and listeners blurred. Audience sang from their seats, and the formality typical of symphonic concerts gave way to something closer to a community gathering.
What distinguished the program was not novelty but tone. The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra did not attempt to reinvent holiday music or frame it ironically. Instead, the ensemble offered a straightforward, inclusive experience that acknowledged its suburban audience and embraced it. The result was a concert less about individual performances and more about shared ritual—an evening that mirrored the season’s emphasis on togetherness, scaled to fit a local stage. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra: johnscreeksymphony.org
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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