Saturday, December 16, 2023, 7:30 p.m.– Hartnell College Main Stage
Sunday, December 17, 2023, 3:00 p.m. – Carmel High School Performing Arts
Center.
Monterey County Pops! and the Hartnell College Music department are very pleased to
announce a special free holiday symphonic concert on the Hartnell Main Stage,
Saturday, December 16, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. The program will be repeated on Sunday,
December 17, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at the Carmel High School Performing Arts
Center. Both concerts are presented to the community free of charge.
The program will feature the 40-piece fully professional orchestra of the Monterey
County Pops!, the Hartnell College Choir, a trio of vocal soloists, and two young adult
instrumental soloists from Monterey County who routinely perform with the Pops! and
are currently studying music at major universities. This concert serves as a showcase
for the Pops! dedication to mentoring young musicians.
The two instrumental soloists are Clarinetist, Daniel Hernandez, and Percussionist,
Ryan Eads.
Daniel, a Salinas native, was a member of the Youth Music of Monterey County program and is a recent graduate of California State University Fullerton. He is currently studying for an Artist Diploma from CSUF and plays regularly with the Pops! when his schedule permits. He will perform the first movement of the “Clarinet Concerto” K. 622 by Mozart. This exquisite work was among Mozart’s final compositions.
Ryan, also a Salinas native, has studied at Hartnell and will begin studies at San José State University next year. He is currently a Teaching Artist with the Youth Orchestra of Salinas and studies with Galen Lemmon of the Cabrillo Festival and San Jose Symphony. Ryan will perform on the marimba, “Rondo Capriccioso” by Camille Säens. This rondo was originally composed for the violin but is often played on the marimba.
The program will feature holiday favorites such as Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” and
“Christmas Festival.” The Hartnell Choir will combine with the MCP! Orchestra for a
special arrangement of “Jingle Bells” based on an arrangement recorded on Barbra
Streisand’s “A Christmas Album” back in 1967 and a unique version of “Joy to the
World” which pairs the well-known carol with an Irish “slide” resulting in an explosion of
joy. The trio of vocal soloists, accompanied by the orchestra, will perform contemporary
versions of “White Christmas” and “Silver Bells.”
