HOMETOWN HOLIDAY POPS Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm Sunday, December 13, 2026 at 2:30 pm Friday, December 18, 2026 at 7:30 pm Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm Sunday, December 20, 2026 at 2:30 pm ALLEN-BRADLEY HALL Ryan Tani, conductor Hugh Panaro, tenor Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble Jana Larson, artistic director Milwaukee Symphony Chorus Cheryl Frazes Hill, director EDWARD POLA AND GEORGE WYLE/arr. David T. Clydesdale It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year Hugh Panaro, tenor Milwaukee Symphony Chorus IRVING BERLIN/arr. Chris Walden White Christmas Hugh Panaro, tenor Milwaukee Symphony Chorus MYKOLA LEONTOVYCH/arr. Barlow Bradford Carol of the Bells Milwaukee Symphony Chorus Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Pas de deux from The Nutcracker, Opus 71 HECTOR BERLIOZ The Shepherds’ Farewell from The Childhood of Christ, Opus 25 Milwaukee Symphony Chorus JEFF TYZIK The Twelve Gifts of Christmas Hugh Panaro, tenor 42
MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
INTERMISSION
TRADITIONAL/arr. Mack Wilberg O Come, All Ye Faithful Milwaukee Symphony Chorus Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble TRADITIONAL/arr. Cathy Moklebust Sing We Now of Christmas Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble TRADITIONAL/arr. Jeff Tyzik Mis zeh Hidlik [“Behold the Lights”] Susan Babini, cello Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble HERBERT KRETZMER AND CLAUDE-MICHEL SCHÖNBERG/arr. Bob Krogstad Bring Him Home from Les Misérables Hugh Panaro, tenor SAMMY CAHN AND JULE STYNE/arr. Larry Blank Let It Snow Hugh Panaro, tenor LEROY ANDERSON Sleigh Ride TRADITIONAL/arr. John Finnegan Christmas Singalong Jingle Bells Joy to the World It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Silent Night Deck the Hall O Come, All Ye Faithful Milwaukee Symphony Chorus Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble VARIOUS/arr. Alexander Courage A Christmas Garland Hugh Panaro, tenor Milwaukee Symphony Chorus Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble Hometown Holiday Pops is sponsored by the WE ENERGIES FOUNDATION. This production’s media sponsor is WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO. The length of this concert is approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. Video or audio recording of this performance is prohibited. All programs are subject to change. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra can be heard on the Naxos, Telarc, Koss Classics, ProArte, AVIE, and Vox/Turnabout labels. MSO Classics recordings are available for digital streaming and download on Spotify, Apple Music, and more. MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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Guest Artist Biographies HUGH PANARO Hugh Panaro is perhaps best known for having played the coveted role of the Phantom in Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera over 2,000 times, including the 25th anniversary production. In fact, Panaro is one of the few actors to be cast by Harold Prince as both the Phantom and Raoul in the show’s Broadway production and recently starred as the title role in the New York production of Sweeney Todd. Panaro made his Broadway debut in the original production of Les Misérables as Marius, the role he originated in the first national company. He also created the roles of Buddy in the original Side Show (Sony cast recording), Julian Craster in Jule Styne’s last musical, The Red Shoes, and the title role in the American premiere of Cameron Mackintosh’s Martin Guerre. Hugh was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in the title role of Elton John’s Lestat, based on Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles. He made his West End debut in the original London company of Harold Prince’s Show Boat as Gaylord Ravenal, the role he previously played in the Broadway and Toronto productions. At the prestigious 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle, Hugh played George Seurat in Sunday in the Park with George and Robert in Stephen Sondheim’s Company. Panaro’s performance as Jean Valjean in the Walnut Street Theatre’s production of Les Misérables earned him the prestigious Barrymore Award, for which he was again nominated after a turn as Fagin in Oliver! In 2012, Hugh was honored with the Edwin Forrest Award for his long-term contribution to the theater. An active concert artist, Panaro has performed with numerous symphony orchestras, including The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Philly Pops, London Sinfonietta, and Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco, Seattle, and Utah symphony orchestras, among many others. Panaro also had the privilege of performing in the U.S. premiere of Penderecki’s Te Deum at Carnegie Hall and was a guest soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. His recordings include Jerome Kern Treasury, the original cast recording of Side Show, Tap Your Troubles Away: The Words & Music of Jerry Herman, Kurt Weill: The Centennial, and Life Upon the Wicked Stage. In addition, he toured throughout Europe with the legendary Barbra Streisand. A native of Philadelphia, Panaro graduated from Temple University and was awarded the Boyer College of Music Certificate of Honor. His first solo album, Man Without a Mask, was recorded live at 54 Below and released in 2023.
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MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Guest Artist Biographies
Photo by Amy Bell
MILWAUKEE HANDBELL ENSEMBLE The Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble is an auditioned community handbell ensemble of 15 ringers who play on 73 handbells and 73 hand chimes under the direction of Jana Larson. Over the past 24 years, the MHE has gained wide popularity in the Milwaukee community and beyond. The MHE is known for their astonishing memorized performances, for premiering new arrangements of popular music, and for serving as the recording choir for American Guild of English Handbell Ringers (AGEHR) Publishing. They have been guest performers with Midwest Vocal Express, Bel Canto Chorus, Present Music, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus. The MHE has performed numerous times with the MSO at Christmastime under conductors Doc Severinsen, Stuart Chafetz, Jeff Tyzik, Andreas Delfs, and Ryan Tani. In December 2023, the MHE performed the halftime show for the Milwaukee Bucks. The MHE has also expanded their reach by touring and performing throughout the Midwest. The group was a featured performer at a regional handbell festival in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 2016 and at the National Seminar for the Handbell Musicians of America in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2018. In May of 2013, MHE became a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Their mission is “to further the art of handbell ringing by educating, inspiring, and informing others of the art form” by showcasing advanced handbell repertoire while serving as a musical resource for the Milwaukee metropolitan area and beyond. The MHE has recorded two CDs: An American Sampler and An MHE Christmas Celebration.
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Georgi Dimitrov Nathan Hackett Michael Lieberman** Erin H. Pipal CELLOS Susan Babini, Principal, 2026.27 SEASON Dorothea C. Mayer Principal Cello Chair Shinae Ra, Assistant Principal (2nd chair) Scott Tisdel, Associate Principal Emeritus MUSIC DIRECTOR Polly and Bill Van Dyke Music Director Chair Esther Chae Madeleine Kabat BYRON STRIPLING Peter Szczepanek Principal Pops Conductor Peter J. Thomas* Stein Family Foundation Principal Pops Adrien Zitoun Conductor Chair BASSES RYAN TANI Principal, Donald B. Abert Associate Conductor Principal Bass Chair Andrew Raciti, Acting Principal CHERYL FRAZES HILL Nash Tomey, Assistant Principal Chorus Director (3rd chair)* Margaret Hawkins Chorus Director Chair Brittany Conrad TIMOTHY J. BENSON Nicholas De Laurentis** Assistant Chorus Director Broner McCoy Paris Myers FIRST VIOLINS Jinwoo Lee, Concertmaster, HARP Charles and Marie Caestecker Julia Coronelli, Principal, Concertmaster Chair Walter Schroeder Principal Harp Chair Ilana Setapen, First Associate FLUTES Concertmaster, Thora M. Vervoren Sonora Slocum, Principal, First Associate Concertmaster Chair Margaret and Roy Butter Jeanyi Kim, Associate Concertmaster Principal Flute Chair Alexander Ayers Heather Zinninger, Assistant Principal Autumn Chodorowski Jennifer Bouton Schaub Yuka Kadota Chihiro Kakishima Elliot Lee Dylana Leung Kyung Ah Oh Lijia Phang Yuanhui Fiona Zheng SECOND VIOLINS Jennifer Startt, Principal, Andrea and Woodrow Leung Principal Second Violin Chair Ji-Yeon Lee, Assistant Principal (2nd chair) Shannon Fitzhenry, Assistant Principal (3rd chair) Heejeon Ahn Lisa Johnson Fuller Clay Hancock Paul Hauer Hyewon Kim Vinícius Sant’Ana** Yiran Yao VIOLAS Principal, Richard O. and Judith A. Wagner Family Principal Viola Chair Kunjing Dai, Acting Principal, Friends of Janet F. Ruggeri Assistant Principal Viola Chair Samantha Rodriguez, Acting Assistant Principal (2nd chair) Alejandro Duque, Acting Assistant Principal (3rd chair) Elizabeth Breslin
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PICCOLO Jennifer Bouton Schaub OBOES Katherine Young Steele, Principal, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra League Principal Oboe Chair Kevin Pearl, Assistant Principal Margaret Butler ENGLISH HORN Margaret Butler, Philip and Beatrice Blank English Horn Chair in memoriam to John Martin CLARINETS Principal, Franklyn Esenberg Principal Clarinet Chair Jay Shankar, Acting Principal, Donald and Ruth P. Taylor Assistant Principal Clarinet Chair Besnik Abrashi, Acting Assistant Principal Max Reese** E-FLAT CLARINET Max Reese** BASS CLARINET Besnik Abrashi BASSOONS Catherine Van Handel, Principal, Muriel C. and John D. Silbar Family Principal Bassoon Chair* Rudi Heinrich, Acting Principal
MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Matthew Melillo, Acting Assistant Principal Laressa Winters** CONTRABASSOON Matthew Melillo HORNS Matthew Annin, Principal, Krause Family Principal French Horn Chair Krystof Pipal, Associate Principal Dietrich Hemann, Andy Nunemaker French Horn Chair Darcy Hamlin Dawson Hartman TRUMPETS Matthew Ernst, Principal, Walter L. Robb Family Principal Trumpet Chair David Cohen, Associate Principal, Martin J. Krebs Associate Principal Trumpet Chair Tim McCarthy, Fred Fuller Trumpet Chair TROMBONES Megumi Kanda, Principal, Marjorie Tiefenthaler Principal Trombone Chair Kirk Ferguson, Assistant Principal BASS TROMBONE John Thevenet, Richard M. Kimball Bass Trombone Chair TUBA Robyn Black, Principal, John and Judith Simonitsch Principal Tuba Chair TIMPANI Dean Borghesani, Principal Chris Riggs, Assistant Principal PERCUSSION Robert Klieger, Principal Chris Riggs PIANO Melitta S. Pick Endowed Piano Chair PERSONNEL Antonio Padilla Denis, Director of Orchestra Personnel Paris Myers, Assistant Manager of Orchestra Personnel LIBRARIANS Paul Beck, Principal Librarian, James E. Van Ess Principal Librarian Chair Matthew Geise, Assistant Librarian & Media Archivist PRODUCTION Tristan Wallace, Production Manager/Live Audio Lisa Sottile, Production Stage Manager * Leave of absence during the 2026.27 season ** Acting member of the MSO for the 2026.27 season