Staff writer
tag heuer replicaMaestro Grant Cooper breaks out of formal conductor garb this weekend and sports festive ensembles while he conducts holiday favorites in the popular "Home for the Holidays" concerts Friday and Saturday nights at the Clay Center.
As has become his custom, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra maestro will don his elf shoes for the performance.
"I can't imagine doing the concert without the elf shoes," Cooper said. "They really make me feel in the mood, as I think they do for the audience, too."
The shoes, a requested visit from Santa and audience participation create a more casual environment for the holiday concerts, which traditionally are the best-attended symphony performances of the season.
"The pops concerts really break down the barriers of stiffness or formality that are sometimes associated with symphonic orchestra performances," Cooper said. "I think we're on target to have a really joyful celebration. It's a concert that is delivered in small segments, making it enjoyable for the whole family."
A special guest, Grammy-nominated baritone Patrick Mason of Annapolis, Md., shares the stage with more than 200 singers from the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the Appalachian Children's Chorus, the Parkersburg Community Chorus, Marshall University Chamber Choir and the West Virginia University at Parkersburg College Chorale.
"The first half of the program is stuff I created for these replica rolex concerts for our players and singers," Cooper said. "The pieces are a celebration of our community, not just generic stuff that could be performed anywhere."
Musicians also will perform some traditional favorites, such as "Sleigh Bells," that audiences expect to hear and would be disappointed if they weren't on the program, he said.
New this year is "Yuletide Dancers," by North Carolina Symphony bass trombonist Terry Mizesko, and a reading of the poignant poem, "A Cup of Christmas Tea." Cooper wrote the music the orchestra will play while the poem is read.
"The story is about what the season means to us, and the underlying scoring helps convey those emotions, as music often does," Cooper said.
Mason will sing "In the Bleak Mid-Winter," an arrangement Cooper wrote for him. Mason sang the arrangement with the symphony in the 2003 holiday concert. A recording of that performance is on the symphony's CD, released last year.
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"He's such a multi-talented musician," Cooper said. "He's an inspiration to work with and brings a unique perspective to everything."
The "Home for the Holidays" CD will be sold in the lobby before and after the concert, and during intermission. Single CDs are $15.00 or buy 5 for $60.00. It's also available in the Clay Center gift store during regular operating hours.
Reach Julie Robinson at or 304-348-1230.
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