Jeff Bennett's Blog

I attended the Boston Pop’s Holiday concert for the twenty-fifth year yesterday along with my family.  It is always a highlight of the season, but yesterday was perhaps the best I have ever attended.

I have to say the program of traditional hymns and songs were a big part of this…there were some oldies and some new renditions as well. Pop’s standbys “Sleigh Ride” and “White Christmas” were perfect.   The crowd really loved the Boston Pop’s version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” that was commissioned two years ago.  All the other renditions were great too.

Pop’s conductor Keith Lockhart has been here fifteen years now and seemed to be having a great time with the event.  It was “his” event…perhaps no overhang of the long Fiedler and Williams eras.  He was fantastic.

The Pop’s and Tanglewood Festival Chorus were really into the spirit as well…which really pulls the crowd in.  The Tanglewood Festival Chorus is made up of volunteers and is under the leadership of it’s original conductor, John Oliver, who founded the chorus forty years ago.

I always love the Boston Pop’s but yesterday was the best of all.