South Jersey Pops Tells Classic Holiday Tales, Musically, Dec. 10 and 12

The South Jersey Pops orchestra will take audiences on a musical sleigh ride through the tales that shape the holiday season with “Pops Holiday Stories” Dec. 10 and 12, 2016.

As the region’s non-profit, volunteer pop ensemble continues its search for a full time music director to succeed Robert Schiavinato, who departed earlier this year, every concert is an opportunity for guest conductors to wield the baton. For this performance, Emma Gibbins and Rachel Smith will share the task, leading the group through a range of popular seasonal stories writ musically.

Among the selections will be music from The Nutcracker, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a live reading of the poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas set to music, Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival and music from the film The Polar Express.

Emma Gibbins is an oboist and music teacher in Waterford, N.J. Rachel Smith is a flutist and music teacher in Medford. Both women took the baton for portions of last winter’s holiday concert.

“There are certain timeless stories we all gravitate to during the holidays. Our goal with this concert is to evoke those nostalgic feelings we had when we viewed or heard these classics for the first time…or the hundredth time,” says South Jersey Pops President Christian Stebbins.

South Jersey Pops will perform Pops Holiday Stories at 2 p.m., Dec. 10, at Lenape High School, 235 Hartford Road, Medford, on Dec. 12, 2015, and at 7 p.m. on Dec. 12 at Marlton United Methodist Church, 2 Marlborough Road, Marlton. Doors open 30 minutes before each performance. Tickets are $10 and, for the Dec. 10 performance, can be purchased at the door or online at www.southjerseypops.org. As seating is strictly limited at the United Methodist Church, tickets are available in advance only. Children under 13 are free

Stebbins notes that those interested in applying for the music director position can do so until Dec. 1, 2016. They can find details at www.southjerseypops.org/news/.

Founded in 1969 as the Burlington County Pops, the 60-member South Jersey Pops Orchestra is an all-volunteer community ensemble that presents several concerts annually. The orchestra provides musicians of all ages an opportunity to express themselves musically in a friendly environment and provides its audiences an opportunity to enjoy live music close to home at moderate cost. The orchestra’s member musicians share administrative duties and pay annual dues to help defray the organization’s expenses. For more information on the South Jersey Pops, visit www.southjerseypops.org.