Cincinnati Brass Band Christmas at Crestview 2021

The Cincinnati Brass Band returned following a break for covid distancing for their annual Christmas Concert at Crestview on Saturday December 3, 2021.  I was delighted to be invited (I love rhymes) to be a featured organ soloist for the concert, playing two numbers on Crestview’s Allen Organ with orchestral sound module. 

The Brass played a wonderful program of accessible arrangements of familar Christmas Carols and seasonal songs featuring brass, lots of percussion and soloists.  I was happy to provide a  “sonority break” from the brass with both traditional pipe sounds as well as orchestral sounds from the organ.  I played “Carol of the Bells” which I play using tuned percussions including celesta, chimes, handbells, guitar, orchestral strings, full organ with cymbal crashes!  I love surprising the Brass Bands percussionists with these random crashes which are pretty authentic, and watching the 1st Cornet players look around to see if part of the Band is joining in!  Then, Robert Bedell’s arrangement of “He is Born”, a delightful mix of gentle pipe organ sounds and some tuned percussion building to a virtuostic conclusion! 

The program was played to an audience of around 200 people with Crestview members serving delightful Christmas Cookies—easily the favorite part of the evening!