It's Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas

The Annandale Brass and the Chris Johnston Trio provided a musical treat last Sunday night at the 's Annandale campus, celebrating the holiday season with a style and a flavor all of their own. The concert featured many familiar traditional Christmas and Hanukkah tunes and began with a holiday favorite for orchestra and bands, the heralded 1950 Leroy Anderson composition, "A Christmas Festival".

Anderson's classic piece, composed for and first debuted by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, was enthusiastically delivered by the Annandale Brass to the crowd of 175 gathered in Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center's Forum Room. The familiar melodies of the piece were played skillfully by the 27 musicians with the varying dynamics and tempos that make this Christmas collection an enduring masterwork.

The second selection chosen by John Wright, the band's sole director for its 13 years of existence as well as a trumpet player in the group, changed course and took the crowd on a stroll to "A Winter Wonderland", the program's traditional title [See video]. The arrangement of this bright and spirited melody featured some discordant moments among the rich harmonic blends of the brass and some French horns runs that complimented the light and airy delivery of this Christmastime treat.

A children's favorite, "Frosty the Snowman", was arranged in a unique style all its own, not the typical bouncy tune one hears on a cartoon, but rather with full and rich harmonies played with fluid resolve. Other favorites including "Sleigh Ride", with the whimsical horse whinny by a trumpet player extraordinaire, "Jingle Bells", and a fun rendition of "Most of the Twelve Days of Christmas". As the brass players entertained the audience musically, a slideshow of traditional scenes of winter, Christmas and Hanukkah played in the background, courtesy of Jody Smalley.

At intermission, the Chris Johnston Trio, a versatile jazz trio of local acclaim, performed several favorites for the crowd including: "Jingle Bells", "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and selections from "A Charlie Brown Christmas," and more. Johnston is the conductor of both the NOVA-Annandale Symphony Orchestra and the Reunion Music Society Jazz Orchestra. Refreshments for intermission were prepared by Wright's wife, Barbara Wright.

The brass musicians also mingled with the audience during intermission. One tuba player, Tom Lyckberg, said he played in the President's Own Marine Band with Wright and was invited ten years ago to join Annandale Brass. Blakely Carroll, a graduate of Madison High School and Florida State University, currently plays in the Chief's Own, the U.S. Air Force Band based in Washington, D.C., and is its first female trumpet player. Wright mentored Carroll. The youngest member of the group is French horn player Conor Nelson, a 2010 graduate of Lake Braddock Secondary School. Many of the Annandale Brass musicians are also current or former military band members, although not all. The group is comprised of multi-generational volunteers and primarily includes members of the NOVA-Annandale Symphony Orchestra.

Audience members enthusiastically spoke about the performance. Sam Chavez-Rosales, an NVCC faculty member, brought his young family to the concert, he and his wife realizing it was the perfect opportunity to expose their children to different musical instruments during an affordable holiday activity. Annandale resident Barbara Seraphin returned for her second Annandale Brass holiday performance. Seraphin said she loved having the opportunity to hear traditional Christmas music played in unique and non-traditional ways.

After the Chris Johnston Trio led a sing-along with the assembled patrons, the Annandale Brass took the stage once again for the second half of the show, performing more popular favorites including Deck the Halls, a beautifully lush rendition of "White Christmas" and the Hanukkah medley, "Festive Sounds of Hanukkah". The music carried the listeners through many facets of Hanukkah, including the lighting of the eight lights of the Menorah and children playing with dreidels, hoping for more golden chocolate coins.

The performance ended with two Christmas familiar classics. "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming", the hauntingly beautiful German carol, was played in a traditional brass choir arrangement, complimented by chimes and solid, powerful tubas. The last selection brought the crowd to its feet as the musicians played the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah, which showcased the full spectrum of the brass. The powerful arrangement wrapped up a performance that truly celebrated the music of the holiday season, all right here in the heart of Annandale.

The Annandale Brass' next concert is their "Spring Fling" is scheduled for Sunday, Apr. 10, 2011 at 4 p.m. Visit their websites at reunionmusic.org and vncc.edu for more information.

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