2025-2026 Concert Season
Christmas with
The Phil:
Let There Be Peace
On Earth
14 December 2025
3 pm & 7 pm
Crescent Arts Centre (525 Wardlaw Ave.)
CONCERT SUPPORTER:
The Winnipeg Foundation
GUEST ARTIST SPONSOR:
Jason Braun, The Pollack Braun Blatt Advisory Group at CIBC Wood Gundy
ORGAN MUSIC PARTNER:
BMRBPIPEORGAN Inc.
SEASON MEDIA SPONSOR:
Golden West Radio/Classic 107
MEDIA PARTNER:
CJNU 93.7 FM
PLEASE SILENCE YOUR PHONES
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PLEASE DIM YOUR SCREEN
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PLEASE SILENCE YOUR PHONES 〰️ PLEASE DIM YOUR SCREEN 〰️
CONCERT PROGRAM
Program notes prepared by members of the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir Program Committee
Hodie Christus Natus Est (Today Christ is Born)
Jan Pieters Sweelinck
O Magnum Mysterium (O Great Mystery)
William Byrd
Ave Maria (Hail Mary)
Heitor Villa-Lobos
In the Bleak Midwinter
Gustav Holst
What Sweeter Music
Leo Nestor/lyrics Robert Herrick
The Hands That First Held Mary’s Child
Dan Forrest/lyrics Thomas Troeger
SINGALONG
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Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies
With th’angelic host proclaim “Christ is born in Bethlehem”
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”Christ, by highest heav’n adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold him come, offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail th’incarnate Deity.
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell; Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”Hail, the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings, ris’n with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
Wes Elias, organ
3 PM Concert Guests
O.V. JEWITT COMMUNITY SCHOOL
Choir Conductor: Arielle Block Accompanist/Donna Laube
Snow Angel – John Jacobson & Mac Huff
Don’t Let The Snow Stop – John Jacobson & Mac Huff
7 PM Concert Guests
ÉCOLE LAURA SECORD HONOUR CHOIR
Choir Conductor: Joan Hanton
Accompanist/Donna Laube
Percussionist/Spencer Hanton
Sleigh Ride – Leroy Anderson & Mitchell Parish
Somewhere In My Memory – John Williams
Little Drummer Boy – H. Simeone, H. Onorati & K. Davis
Carol of the Bells – M. Dmytrovich Leontovych & P. Wilhousky/arr. William N. Simon
Silent Night – Franz Gruber
SINGALONG
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O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him Born the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore Him, (3x) Christ the Lord.God of God, Light of Light
Lo, He abhors not the Virgin’s womb
Very God, begotten, not created
O come, let us adore Him, (3x) Christ the Lord.Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above!
Glory to God, glory in the highest:
O come, let us adore Him, (3x) Christ the Lord.Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesu, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him, (3x) Christ the Lord.
Wes Elias, organ
3 PM Concert Guests
HI-LIFE STEEL ORCHESTRA
Kaylene Blackwood/Olexa Blackwood/Elijah Blackwood
Mary’s Boy Child – Jester Hairston/arr. Gerry Sampson
Climb Every Mountain – Richard Rodger/arr. Gerry Sampson
Jamaican Farewell – Lord Burgees/arr. Gerry Sampson
Under the Sea – Alan Menken/arr. Kaylene Blackwood
7 PM Concert Guests
HI-LIFE STEEL ORCHESTRA
Kaylene Blackwood/Olexa Blackwood/Elijah Blackwood
Mary’s Boy Child – Jester Hairston/arr. Gerry Sampson
Paganini – Niccolo Paganini/arr. Gerry Sampson\
Magic Drum – Len Sharpe/arr. Gerry Sampson & Kaylene Blackwood
Under the Sea – Alan Menken/arr. Kaylene Blackwood
SINGALONG
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Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her king; Let every heart prepare him room, and heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.Joy to the world, the Saviour reigns! Let men their songs employ While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness, and wonders of his love, And wonders of his love, and wonders, wonders of his love.
Wes Elias, organ
Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy
arr. Robert De Cormier
Jamaican Noel (He’s a Tiny Little Baby)
Kirby Shaw
Pat-A-Pan
Bernard de la Monnove/arr. Shawn Kirchner
Here We Come A-Carolling
arr. Josh Sparkman
The First Noel
arr. Dan Forrest
Let There Be Peace On Earth
Sy Miller & Jill Jackson/arr. H. Ades
GUEST ARTISTS
Wes Elias, organ
Wes Elias is an active Winnipeg musician who works as a private music teacher, performer, RCM examiner and church musician. He has served as organist at St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church since 2009. Prior to this he was Music Director at Broadway-First Baptist Church for 17 years. Primary organ studies were with Douglas Bodle at the University of Toronto. Other organ teachers have included Winnifred Sim, Peter Letkemann and Lawrence Ritchey. He has appeared on numerous occasions with the Phil.
O.V. JEWITT COMMUNITY SCHOOL
The O.V. Jewitt Grade 4 & 5 Choir is made up of 65 energized singers, many of whom are performing here today. On December 9, the choir presented their musical Snow Biz! at the Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre. More than half of the students performed speaking or singing solos, and every singer contributed to making the show a success. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Tannis Nishibata-Chan for bringing this opportunity to us, organizing transportation, and continually supporting our music program.
Ms. Arielle Block is a teacher, conductor, singer, and dancer who is passionate about sharing the arts with her community. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the Winnipeg arts scene and enjoys attending musicals, plays, and concerts in her spare time. Arielle is the K–8 Music and Choir teacher at O.V. Jewitt Community School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Winnipeg, a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Canadian Mennonite University, and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Manitoba.
ÉCOLE LAURA SECORD HONOUR CHOIR
Joan Hanton, music teacher at Laura Secord, would like to share with you some history about the choral program at her school.
At École Laura Secord School, in the heart of Wolseley, the arts are an integral part of school life, giving students from Grades 1 through to 6 the opportunity to explore music, movement and creative expression. The school’s six choirs bring together students to perform at major events, including the annual Remembrance Day ceremony, assemblies and community gatherings. Students are currently looking forward to next week’s festive holiday sing-along, celebrating the season through music with the entire school community. This evening’s Honour Choir was formed especially for our performance with the Phil, with students practising twice a week after school.
In addition to choral performances, students participate in the school’s musical theatre program. This spring, students from grades 4 to 6 will present Finding Nemo Jr., continuing the school’s tradition of story-driven productions that foster confidence, teamwork and artistic growth. Guided by Ms. Hanton, who has 30 years of experience teaching music across Winnipeg, students are encouraged to discover their voices and share them with pride, creating an inclusive and inspiring environment where every child can shine.
HI-LIFE STEEL ORCHESTRA
Kaylene and her family are proud members of the Hi-Life Steel Orchestra, a close-knit ensemble made up of 12 to 15 dedicated musicians ranging from teenagers to adults. The family has been part of this group for over 15 years, sharing not only a love for music but also a deep connection to their cultural roots.
Their instruments – steel pans – originate from Trinidad and Tobago and hold a special place in their heritage, passed down through generations and originating with their grandparents. These unique-sounding instruments are crafted from discarded oil drums, cut and shaped into different lengths, and carefully hand-tuned with a hammer to create their distinctive tones.
This band features a variety of steel pan instruments, but in this performance, you’ll hear the vibrant sounds of the tenor, double second, and guitar pans. The family is excited to share a mix of familiar tunes and upbeat pieces – all with a Caribbean twist!
Kaylene wants to share with you that it is a true privilege to carry on the tradition of steel pan music and to perform the joyful rhythms and melodies of her culture with you.
Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir
Yuri Klaz, Artistic Director and Conductor
Donna Laube, Accompanist
Sopranos
Alison Bartel
Brenda Dyck
Linda Feasby
Wendy Gainsborough
Deborah Ginther
Debbie Girard
Ariana Hawkins
Rachael Iberclawe
Kadri Irwin
Claire Johnston
Jessica Kowall
Betty Loewen
Kristin Lovrien-Meuwese
Janet Marchylo
Leah Jinghan Ma
Marika Nerbas
Crystal Penner
Christine Sveinson
Dolores Tjart
Lorilee Woelcke
Altos
Gwen Allison
Naomi Birere
Kaylene Blackwood
Vida Chan
Glynis Corkal
Kelley Frye
Veronica Larmour
Vivien Laurie
Brenda Marinelli
Celoris Miller
Arlene Petkau
Mallory Prescott
Wanda Prychitko
Gail Singer
Nicola Spasoff
Alison Thiessen
Chelsey Young
Tenors
John Drewitt
Brian Fristensky
Leonard LaRue
Jackson Lotz
Matthew Nickel
Eric Peters
Aiden Sebbahi
Basses
Teko Bailey
Robert Giesbrecht
Peter Loewen
Brian Marchylo
Liam Martin
John Murray
Dennis Penner
Clement Toner
Laurent Waldie
Paul Wiebe
