by Kevin McLaughlin
Photo by Roger Mastroianni
This article was originally published on Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Holiday concerts trade on familiarity, but the best of them feel less like ritual and more like reunion.
On Saturday evening, Dec. 13 at Mandel Concert Hall, The Cleveland Orchestra welcomed a full house for the second of its twelve annual Holiday Concerts, a tradition that dates back to 1919.
Led by guest conductor Sarah Hicks, with soprano Meredith Wohlgemuth and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, and members of the Blossom Festival Chorus under the direction of Lisa Wong, the evening unfolded with easy charm.
Throughout the performance, Hicks proved an ideal guide. Her conducting was clear and unshowy, her rapport with the audience unaffected and delightful.
The concert opened with the hall in semi-darkness, then gradually blooming with light: boughs along the balcony rails glowing on either side, snowflakes drifting across the back wall of the stage, and a bright silver star presiding overhead.
Santa hats perched on instruments — most memorably on the harp column and the scrolls of basses and violins — were a playful touch, but the atmosphere was unmistakably Severance: festive but musically exacting.
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” opened, followed by “Carol of the Bells,” both made more compelling by projected light resembling strands of tinsel. Hicks then offered a brief, disarming remark — an invitation to let the music carry listeners from the hectic business of arrival into a calmer frame of mind.
In Frederick Delius’s “Sleigh Ride,” bathed in cool blue light, the playing was supple and unforced. Hicks later described the piece as “soothing” — a sleigh ride imagined less as careening into a snowbank than as a gentle glide. “O Christmas Tree,” arranged by Cleveland Orchestra trumpeter Jack Sutte, featured neatly dispatched solos from trombone, horn and trumpet, delivered with collegial glee.
A shift to warmer lighting, suggestive of the kitchen hearth, set the stage for the “Knusperwalzer” from Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. Triangle and bells added fairy-tale sparkle.
Lisa Wong then took the podium to conduct the Catalan carol “Fum, fum, fum,” leading into one of the evening’s highlights: “Kuttanadan Punjayile,” a South Indian folk song arranged by Reena Esmail. Unfamiliar to many in the audience, it made a quiet, powerful impression — poised and sincere, a reminder that holiday music can include multitudes.
The Hanukkah song “Mis Zeh Hidlik” (“Who lit this?”), arranged by Jeff Tyzik, gently mimicked the glow of candles being lit. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” followed as a sing-along, though curiously, without an invitation to stand. Tradition reasserted itself when many rose for the “Hallelujah” Chorus from Messiah, sending the audience into intermission in high spirits.
After the break — and a costume change for Hicks, now in a white sleeveless top with green trousers — the orchestra launched into the “Overture to A Merry Christmas,” a clever mashup of Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” overture, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” and “Joy to the World,” neatly compressed into one tasty morsel.
Guest vocalist Meredith Wohlgemuth appeared next, bringing her pleasant, well-projected voice and the right holiday mood to “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “What Child Is This?” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Some gentle humor came from the revelation that both Wohlgemuth (a Floridian) and Hicks (a native of Hawaii) were strangers to snowy sleigh rides and frozen Decembers.
Local color took over in “The Twelve Days of Cleveland Christmas,” arranged by Gary Fry, with references ranging from Browns victories to fishnet lamps and five pounds of slush. Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” followed, but not before a surprise visit from Santa — played with expert comic timing — drew delighted laughter. The program concluded with “Festival First Nowell,” arranged by Dan Forrest, featuring luminous choral singing and a fine soprano descant.
Encores followed as expected: “Silent Night,” with candlelights dotting the chorus, and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” sending the audience home smiling.
Performances run through December 21, Tickets are available online.
Kevin McLaughlin is the former Library Director at the Cleveland Institute of Music. A freelance writer and editor, his weekly podcast on early jazz, “At the Jazz Band Ball,” can be found on a variety of podcast platforms.
Published on ClevelandClassical.com December 17, 2025
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