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Annual Christmas concert has something for everyone

Local students will be in the spotlight with the orchestra
2019-12-09 TSO MH
Timmins Symphony Orchestra conductor Josh Wood, and Mits Takayesu are ready for this weekend's performance, A Christmas in Brass. Maija Hoggett/TimminsToday

If you've ever wondered what a Timmins version of the 12 Days of Christmas would sound like, the wait is over.

The Timmins Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is having a little fun for their annual Christmas concert, A Christmas in Brass.

The performance Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Ecole secondaire catholique Theriault will feature the TSO chorus and the Toronto quintet Hogtown Brass. Children's choirs from Ecole catholique Don Bosco, W. Earle Miller Public School, and Timmins Centennial Public School, as well as La Chorale de tout Choeur are also part of the show.

“There’s tons of variety, there really is something for everyone," said conductor Josh Wood. "We really try hard to put on an entertaining show and have something for everyone."

For Wood, the brass quintet really captures the sound of Christmas. 

“When you’re watching Christmas movies or listening to Christmas music, you hear a lot of brass. For me, it’s a big part of the sound of the holidays,” he said.

The concert includes traditional and newer music. 

“And even if you don’t know the songs, it’s in a style that’s going to be familiar and enjoyable. We have a really exciting arrangement of Hark the Herald (Angels Sing), there’s going to be a piece for brass quintet and Randy Pickering is going to be narrating ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” he said.

Wood said the show is real celebration of Timmins and the organization's past. 

One of the past conductors, the late Geoffrey Lee, wrote a festive piece, A Traditional English Christmas. 

TSO bassoonist and librarian Mits Takayesu has revived it and the orchestra will be performing the medley of carols. 

A new version of the 12 Days of Christmas is another highlight. 

"You won’t want to miss that, you’ll want to see what the gifts are for each day of a Timmins’ Christmas. You can probably guess some of them,” said Wood.

Tickets are available at the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre. They are $39 for red, $34 for silver, and $15 for under 30.