About this Event
Step into the magic of the season with Salem Symphonic Winds as conductor John Skelton leads a heartwarming, high-energy concert celebrating the sounds, stories, and traditions of the holidays.
🎄 Event Highlights
- A Visual & Musical Premiere: Experience the Salem co-commissioned performance of Erika Svanoe’s A Christmas Carol. Based on the timeless Charles Dickens classic, this centerpiece work comes to life through a rich musical score paired with projected motion graphics and original artwork by acclaimed graphic artist Erik Evensen.
- Timeless Holiday Classics: Delight in festive arrangements of seasonal favorites, including Alfred Reed’s fanfare A Christmas Intrada, Julie Giroux’s rich settings (The Drummer Boy’s Bolero, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Jingle Them Bells), Philip Sparke’s atmospheric Carol of the Shepherds and A Medieval Christmas, and David Barker’s lively A Christmas Suite.
- Masterworks of the Season: Enjoy powerful original masterworks for wind ensemble, including Ron Nelson’s evocative Morning Alleluias for the Winter Solstice and Pulitzer Prize winner Norman Dello Joio’s Variants on a Mediaeval Tune (based on In Dulci Jubilo).
- A Spectacular Finale: We’ll close the afternoon with Leroy Anderson’s legendary Sleigh Ride—featuring a special twist you’ve never heard before!
Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of music, art, and holiday cheer. Order your tickets today!
Composer Spotlight: Erika Svanoe, composer of "A Christmas Carol," based on the novel by Charles Dickens, with Motion Graphics by Erik Evensen.
Born in Whitewater, Wisconsin, Erika Svanoe (b. 1976) is an American conductor, composer, and educator known for her lyrical melodies, musical deconstruction, humor, pastiche, and frequent nods to classic literature.
She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from The Ohio State University, a Master of Music from Oklahoma State University, and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.
Key highlights of her career include:
- Notable Compositions & Honors: Won the 2014 NBA Young Band Composition Contest for her first major work, The Haunted Carousel. Her wind band literature—including works like Mary Shelley Meets Frankenstein, Steampunk Scenes, and The Authors Suite—has been performed by premier ensembles such as "The President's Own" United States Marine Band and the United States Navy Band.
- Conducting & Education: Serves as the Conductor of the Symphonic Band at the University of Wisconsin–Stout Polytechnic and has held academic positions at Augsburg University, Bemidji State University, and the University of New Hampshire.
- Multidisciplinary Creative Work: Beyond music, she is the creator and designer of Marrying Mr. Darcy, the Pride & Prejudice card game.
Graphic Artist Spotlight: Erik Evensen created the graphic images that will be projected during the performance of Erika Svanoe's "A Christmas Carol".
Born in western New Hampshire, Erik E. Evensen is an award-winning American graphic designer, illustrator, graphic novelist, and educator known for reinterpreting history, mythology, and folklore.
He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Communication Design from The Ohio State University, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from the University of New Hampshire.
Key highlights of his career include:
- Graphic Novels & Comics: Recipient of the 2007 Xeric Award grant for his graphic novel Gods of Asgard. He is also the author/artist of The Beast of Wolfe's Bay and has contributed to commercial comic titles, including Ghostbusters and Back to the Future, for IDW Publishing.
- Board Game Illustration & Design: Illustrated and co-designed graphic elements for popular tabletop games, including the Xeric-winning Marrying Mr. Darcy: The Pride & Prejudice Card Game and the award-winning Distilled.
- Academics & Leadership: Serves as a Professor of Design and Illustration and Program Director for the MFA in Design at the University of Wisconsin–Stout Polytechnic, where he was recognized with the 2022 Outstanding Teaching Award.
Composer Spotlight: Leroy Anderson, composer of Sleigh Ride.
Leroy Anderson (1908–1975) was an American composer and arranger renowned for his light orchestral and concert band compositions.
- Education & Early Career: Earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Music from Harvard University, studying under George Enescu and Walter Piston. While directing the Harvard University Band, his arrangements caught Arthur Fiedler's attention, leading to a longtime role arranging and composing original works for the Boston Pops Orchestra.
- Military Service: Served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a translator for the Counterintelligence Corps, eventually becoming chief of the Scandinavian Department of Military Intelligence at the Pentagon.
- Major Works & Legacy: Composed famous light classics such as "Sleigh Ride" (1948), "The Syncopated Clock" (1945), and the million-selling "Blue Tango" (1952). He conducted premier recordings of his music for Decca Records, guest-conducted across the United States, and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Composer Spotlight: Julie Giroux, arranger of The Drummer Boy's Bolero, I'll be Home for Christmas, and Jingle Them Bells.
Born in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, Julie Giroux (b. 1961) is an Emmy Award–winning American composer, orchestrator, and conductor celebrated for her expressive storytelling across wind ensemble, symphonic, film, and television music.
She earned her Bachelor of Music from Louisiana State University, where she began her commercial composing career. After moving to Los Angeles, she spent over a decade orchestrating and composing for more than 100 film and television projects—including Dynasty, The Karate Kid Part II, and Broadcast News—earning multiple Emmy Awards. Since 1997, she has focused primarily on concert band and wind ensemble repertoire.
Key highlights of her career include:
- Historic Milestones: Became the first female composer inducted into the American Bandmasters Association in 2009. Her Integrity Fanfare and March was performed at the 2021 U.S. Presidential Inauguration, marking the first time music by a female composer was programmed for the presidential entrance.
- Renowned Concert Band Works: Prolific composer of over 200 published works, including staples such as La Mezquita de Cordoba, Mystery on Mena Mountain, One Life Beautiful, Khan, and major symphonies including Symphony No. V: Elements and Symphony No. VI: The Blue Marble.
- Prestigious Honors: Recipient of the Distinguished Service to Music Medal awarded by Kappa Kappa Psi and inducted into the Hall of Fame for Women Songwriters, Composers, Performers and Producers.
Composer Spotlight: Phillip Sparke, composer of Carol of the Shepherds, and A Medieval Christmas.
Born in London, Philip Sparke (b. 1951) is an acclaimed British composer and musician widely celebrated for his contributions to wind band and brass band literature.
He studied composition, trumpet, and piano at the Royal College of Music, where playing in the college wind orchestra inspired him to begin writing for wind and brass ensembles. His international reputation grew through major contest wins and commissions, including three EBU New Music for Band competitions and prestigious test pieces for national brass band championships worldwide.
Key highlights of his career include:
- Major Honors: Recipient of the Sudler International Wind Band Composition Prize for Dance Movements (1997), the Iles Medal for services to brass bands (2000), and two NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Composition Awards for Music of the Spheres (2005) and A Colour Symphony (2016).
- Publishing & Leadership: Founded his own publishing house, Anglo Music Press, in 2000 to publish his concert band, brass band, and educational works.
- Recognition: Honored with the International Award at the Midwest Clinic (2018) and named an Honorary Member of the American Bandmasters Association (2020).
Composer Spotlight: Ron Nelson, composer of Morning Alleluias for the Winter Solstice.
Born in Joliet, Illinois, Ron Nelson (1929–2023) was an acclaimed American composer and music educator whom conductor Leonard Slatkin described as a "quintessential American composer" for his expressive versatility across band, orchestral, and choral music.
He earned his Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate degrees from the Eastman School of Music and studied in Paris under a Fulbright Grant. In 1956, Nelson joined the faculty of Brown University, where he taught and led the music department until his retirement in 1993.
Key highlights of his career include:
- Major Honors: Swept all three major American band composition prizes in a single year (1993)—winning the NBA Composition Contest, the ABA Ostwald Award, and the Sudler International Wind Band Composition Prize for his landmark work Passacaglia (Homage on B-A-C-H).
- Renowned Works: Widely celebrated for staple wind ensemble and orchestral repertoire, including Rocky Point Holiday, Savannah River Holiday, Medieval Suite, and Courtly Airs and Dances.
Composer Spotlight:: Alfred Reed, composer of A Christmas Intrada.
Born in New York City, Alfred Reed (born Alfred Friedman, 1921–2005) was a prominent American neoclassical composer, conductor, and music educator with more than 200 published works for concert band, orchestra, chorus, and chamber ensemble.
After early musical training on cornet and working as a staff arranger in New York's Radio Workshop, Reed served during World War II as radio production director and associate conductor for the 529th US Army Air Force Corps, composing and arranging over 100 original scores. He later studied composition at the Juilliard School of Music under Vittorio Giannini before working as a television composer and arranger for NBC and ABC.
Reed earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Baylor University—where he conducted the Baylor Symphony Orchestra and won the 1959 Luria Prize for his Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra. Following a decade as executive editor at Hansen Publications, he joined the faculty at the University of Miami School of Music in 1966, where he established the nation's first college-level music business curriculum and directed the Music Industry Program until his retirement in 1993.
Composer Spotlight: Norman Dello Joio, composer of Variants on a Mediaeval Tune.
Born in New York City to Italian immigrants, Norman Dello Joio was a prolific American composer and educator renowned for his lyrical style across choral, orchestral, and wind ensemble music.
After early keyboard studies with his father and godfather Pietro Yon, he trained at the Juilliard School and studied under Paul Hindemith, who encouraged his expressive, melodic voice over atonal systems.
Over a distinguished career, Dello Joio earned major accolades including:
- 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Meditations on Ecclesiastes
- 1965 Emmy Award for his television score to NBC's The Louvre (later adapted into the landmark wind band suite Scenes from The Louvre)
- New York Music Critics' Circle Award for Variations, Chaconne and Finale
He frequently collaborated with legendary dancer Martha Graham (composing works such as Diversion of Angels and Seraphic Dialogue) and created celebrated repertoire for band and orchestra, including Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn. Beyond composing, he held faculty posts at Sarah Lawrence College and Mannes College, and served as dean of Boston University's College of Fine Arts.
Event venue & nearby stays
Rose Auditorium, South Salem High School, 700 HOWARD STREET, Salem, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.