Holiday Pops Kids' Matinees Digital Program
Lead Season Sponsor
KEITH LOCKHART conducting
with the Boston Pops Holiday Singers, Lisa Graham, director
Monday, Dec. 23, 11:00am
Tuesday, Dec. 24, 11:00am
Sleigh Ride
Anderson/Parish—arr. Goldberg/Burton
Carol of the Brown King (world premiere)
Coleman/Elliott
Text by Langston Hughes | Artwork by Ashley Bryan (program note below)
- Carol of the Brown King
- Shepherd’s Song at Christmas
- On a Christmas Night
- The Christmas Story
Fête de Campagne
- Pat-a-Pan (de La Monnoye—arr. Kay)
- Farandole (Bizet)
Children, Go Where I Send Thee
Traditional—arr. Mathes
RENESE KING, soloist
A Visit from St. Nicholas (’Twas the Night before Christmas)
Reisman
Text by Clement C. Moore | Artwork by Jan Brett
Frosty All the Way!
arr. Sebesky
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Hague—arr. Troob
Text of How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Theodor S. Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
Text and illustrations © Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. 1957. All Rights Reserved.
All I Want for Christmas Is You
Carey/Afanasieff—arr. Chase
Christmas Is for Children Sing-Along
arr. Troob
- Jingle Bells
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Chipmunk Song
- A Holly Jolly Christmas
- Deck the Hall
- Frosty the Snowman
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Cell phone photo and video of these performances are allowed for personal use only, including posting on social media; we may ask you to limit taking photos or videos if it interferes with the performance or other attendees’ enjoyment of it. Please note that use of flash is prohibited.
Guests are expected to drink responsibly. Intoxication will not be tolerated. Intervention with an impaired guest will be handled in a prompt and safe manner, which may include ejection from the premises.
The Boston Pops welcomes:
Dec. 23: Joseph and Sandra Avellone; Nancy Brady; Kristen Colvin; Amy Howarth; Ms. Susan Ryan
Dec. 24: Ms. Claudia A. Arrigg; Ashley Balaconis; Charles and Nancy Donahue; Jane and John Hastie; Mr. Edward O’Brien; Peter and Catherine Smyth; Tara Stilwell
Artists
Program Note
Carol of the Brown King
Carol of the Brown King is a collection of six poems by Langston Hughes which all depict the Nativity scene and the story of Christmas. The poems have been published as a book featuring the art of Ashley Bryan, and that book is the inspiration for the composition featured at Holiday Pops this year. David Coleman's setting of four poems from the book celebrates musical styles from the African Diaspora including Afro-Caribbean, jazz, and Gospel. The author's use of the term "Brown King" and the words "dark like me" highlight the ethnic diversity of people from the region of the original story and how a person of color can find themselves represented in one of the most famous scenes in history.
David Coleman, composer
In these concerts, Carol of the Brown King is accompanied by evocative images by award-winning artist, children’s book author/illustrator, and teacher Ashley Bryan (1923-2022). Born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx, Bryan taught at Dartmouth College before retiring to Little Cranberry Island in Maine, where he lived for three decades before spending his final years in Texas. He steadfastly pursued artistic passion despite facing numerous obstacles in his early career. Learn more about Mr. Bryan at ashleybryancenter.org.
Images from Carol of the Brown King by Langston Hughes and illustrated by Ashley Bryan presented through special arrangement with Atheneum/Simon & Schuster. 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright 1998 Ashley Bryan. All rights reserved.
“Carol of the Brown King,” “Shepherd’s Song at Christmas,” "On a Christmas Night,” and “The Christmas Story” by Langston Hughes from The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes © 1994 by the Estate of Langston Hughes. Used with permission of International Literary Properties LLC.
Video: Susan Dangel, Producer; Dick Bartlett, Editor
Christmas Is for Children Sing-Along lyrics
JINGLE BELLS
Words and music by J. S. Pierpont
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!
Dashing thro’ the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh,
O’er the fields we go, laughing all the way;
Bells on bobtail ring, making spirits bright;
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song to-night.
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER
Words and music by Johnny Marks
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer,
Had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw it,
You would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came to say:
“Rudolph, with your nose so bright,
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then how the reindeer loved him,
As they shouted out with glee:
“Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer,
You’ll go down in history!”
CHIPMUNK SONG
Words and music by Ross Bagdasarian
Christmas, Christmas time is near
Time for joy and time for cheer
We’ve been good but we can’t last
Hurry Christmas, hurry fast
Want a plane that loops the loop
Me, I want a hula hoop
We can hardly stand the wait
Please, Christmas, don’t be late
A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS
Words and music by Johnny Marks
Have a holly jolly Christmas
It's the best time of the year
I don't know if there'll be snow
But have a cup of cheer
Have a holly jolly Christmas
And when you walk down the street
Say hello to friends you know
And everyone you meet
Oh-ho, the mistletoe
Hung where you can see
Somebody waits for you
Kiss her once for me
Have a holly jolly Christmas
And in case you didn't hear
Oh, by golly
Have a holly jolly Christmas this year
DECK THE HALL
Words by Thomas Oliphant / Music traditional
Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la la la la!
'Tis the season to be jolly, …
Don we now our gay apparel, …
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, …
See the blazing yule before us, …
Strike the harp and join the chorus, …
Follow me in merry measure, …
While I tell of Yuletide treasure,
Fa la la la la la la la!
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN
Words and music by Walter Rollins and Steve Nelson
Frosty the Snowman was a jolly, happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal.
Frosty the Snowman is a fairytale they say.
He was made of snow, but the children know
How he came to life one day.
There must have been some
Magic in that old silk hat they found,
For when they placed it on his head,
He began to dance around. Oh!
Frosty the Snowman was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me.
Thumpety thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go.
Thumpety thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow.
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS
Traditional
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy new year.
Glad tidings we bring
To you and your kin
Glad tidings for Christmas
And a happy new year.
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Now bring us some figgy pudding
And bring it us here.
We won't go until we’ve got some
We won't go until we’ve got some
We won't go until we’ve got some
So give it us here.
Glad tidings we bring
To you and your kin
Glad tidings for Christmas
And a happy new year.
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy new year!
Boston Pops Major Corporate Sponsors, 2024-25 Season
The Boston Pops and Symphony Hall major corporate sponsorships reflect the increasing importance of alliance between business and the arts. The Boston Pops is honored to be associated with the following companies and gratefully acknowledges their partnership. For information regarding BSO, Boston Pops, and/or Tanglewood sponsorship opportunities, contact Joan Jolley, Director of Corporate Partnerships, at (617) 638-9279 or jjolley@bso.org.
Donors
