The West Hartford Symphony will perform the annual Holiday Concert on Dec. 8.

Submitted

Mark your calendar for one of the most joyous concerts of the year – the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s (WHSO) Holiday Concert on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. in the West Hartford Town Hall Auditorium.

Lyric soprano, Kathleen Callahan-Hardman, will perform perennial favorites such as Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” and “O Holy Night.” Music by Tchaikovsky, John Philip Sousa Christopher Tew, British composer Nigel Hess, and Connecticut composer Leroy Anderson are featured on the festive program.

Callahan-Hardman’s luminous voice will uplift concert-goers spirits. An accomplished vocalist, she has won numerous awards including Top Prize winner of the Gerda Lissner Foundation, winner of the Jenny Lind and Paul Robeson Competitions, and the second-place winner, NY Region Met Council auditions.

During her career, Callahan-Hardman has taken on major roles as Mary Todd Lincoln in the WHSO conductor Richard Chirappa’s Lincoln and Booth, Mimi in La Boheme, Cio Cio San in Madame Butterfly and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier, and most recently, as Violetta in Panopera’s La Traviata in Northampton. Her impressive resume also includes singing with the Santa Fe, Harrisburg, CT Lyric, CT Grand Opera, Longview, Aspen, and Julliard Operas as well as presenting song recitals at the Woodstock Fringe and Marlboro Music Festivals.

Locally, Callahan-Hardman is cantor and section leader at St. Thomas and St. Patrick’s in Connecticut.

The concert will also showcase the talents of special guest Conard High School senior, Stephanie Reuning-Scherer, who will sing the National Anthem.

Delight in the beauty of music at the WHSO Holiday Concert. Tickets for seniors and students are $15, general seating is $20, and table seats are $30, and can be purchased by calling the WHSO office at 860-521-4362, online at whso.org or at the door. 

The West Hartford Symphony Orchestra is a volunteer community orchestra, founded in 2001 by West Hartford residents Richard Chiarappa and Jim Kilian. It allows people of all ages and levels of expertise to create and enjoy music together. Maestro Richard Chiarappa is the conductor.

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