Seventy-seven-year-old musician Steve McGrew has played innumerable holiday concerts in his artistic life. But his heart always is in harmony with the warmth of the season and its soundtrack. And he never grows tired of yule yearnings.
Take the classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas” theme, for example.
“It’s wonderfully jazzy music that can stand by itself,” McGrew said, realizing that many know it because of the “Peanuts” cartoon strip gang.
That and a host of other tunes will make up the Columbus City Band’s free 75-minute presentation of “Songs Of The Season And Christmas Classics” scheduled at 2 p.m. Sunday at The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus. The gathering normally attracts the ensemble’s largest crowd of the season, sometimes numbering about 700 people.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Though the group plays the Peanuts-oriented tune about every three years, McGrew emphasized that about 60 percent of the weekend program is new material.
“That’s good for me, for one thing,” said the band leader since 1996. “And it’s good for the ensemble to be able to read a new piece.”
The concert will open with a brass-laden work that McGrew labeled as “stellar” — “Holiday Overture,” including classics such as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
City Band veteran Shawn Bentz will leave his trumpet long enough to conduct the band through “Stille Stille, Stille,” more of a winter work than a Christmas one.
“It’s always nice to have the opportunity to get in front of a group of this caliber,” Bentz said. “We’ve got so many very strong musicians. And this is not really an especially tough piece to conduct. But it definitely allows for more emotional expression. So the trick for me is in finding the best way to get the musicians to bring that out.”
McGrew also will relinquish the baton to tuba player Richard Branaman to conduct the Mannheim Steamroller work “Pat-a-Pan.”
The director figures an overture titled “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” could be among the most popular works in the performance. It includes segments of classics such “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “No Place Like Home for the Holidays.” Plus, a sing-along of Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival” near the end will allow audience members to turn music makers.
“I don’t think that they’ll need the lyrics for that one,” McGrew said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About the concert” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Who: Columbus City Band’s 75-minute holiday concert "Songs Of The Season And Christmas Classics."
When:2 p.m. Sunday.
Where: The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
Admission: Free.
Information: Facebook page for Columbus City Band.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
