Carol to the King
France
arr. Mack Wilberg
In the Bleak Midwinter
arr. Robert W. Smith
England
Luke 2: The Nativity
Narration in multiple languages *
Music: Still, Still, Still
Austria
arr. Paul Thompson
Пастырие Вифлеемстии
(Shepherds of Bethlehem)
Russia
A. Kastalsky
Stille Nacht
(Silent Night)
Austria
arr. John Rutter
Huron Carol
Canada
arr. Dan Forrest
Solo: McKenna Hartley
Deck the Hall
Wales
arr. Mack Wilberg
INTERMISSION
Fum! Fum! Fum!
Catalonia
arr. Mack Wilberg
Brightest and Best
America
arr. Shawn Kirchner
Isseh, Isseh
Africa
arr. Ronald Staheli
Additional percussion:
Jenny Gennings, Rachel Mohlman
Ain’t That-A Rockin’
America
arr. Stacey V. Gibbs
One Sweet Little Baby
America
arr. Shawn Kirchner
Angels We Have Heard on High
France
arr. Dan Forrest
* We offer our heartfelt thanks to the international cast who narrated Luke 2: The Nativity.
W. Ben Ho, Cantonese
C.E. Platt, French
Doctor Abio Ayeliya, Nankani
Helaman Escobar, Portuguese
Archna Kalra, Hindi
Ute Hudson, German
Sonja Escobar, Norwegian
David Grant, English (Scotland)
Dixie Kolditz, Setswana
Eeva-Leena Zollinger, Finnish
Randy McClellan, English (USA)
Welcome to the opening concert of our 2024-2025 season! Thank you for choosing to spend part of your holiday celebration with Portland Choir & Orchestra. In this season there is an air of excitement, of anticipation. All over the world people share a remembrance of a time over 2 millennia ago, when a mother and father, some shepherds in a field and kings from afar witnessed the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. We are excited to share with you songs from cultural traditions around the globe. We invite you to open your hearts and explore with us the wide variety of inspiring emotions these songs can elicit from us if we allow them, including peace, excitement, reverence, astonishment, exuberance, hope, and joy.
We also dedicate this performance to Dr. Edward Higgins, who has announced that this season will be his last as our Orchestra Director, a post he has held since 2013. Dr. Higgins’ dedicated work ethic and strong musicianship have brought the orchestra to a new level of excellence and garnered the respect and attention of musicians throughout the Pacific Northwest. Ed, we have truly loved these years of collaboration with you. Although your title and duties will change, your place in the PCO family is forever secure. We wish you many happy endeavors.
Again, thank you for making this concert possible through your attendance, and for your ongoing support.
Merry Christmas! С Рождеством! Frohe Weihnachten!
David Thomas, Artistic Director
Ken Hollenzer, Executive Director
Thank you for buying tickets to our concert today. If you would like to support more of this kind of uplifting, family-friendly music please consider supporting Portland Choir & Orchestra with an additional tax-deductible donation like these sponsors. Just click here to visit our sponsorship page.
Thank You To Our
2024-2025 Season Donors:
Bedont Orthodontics
Brittany Jones
Mary Curtis
Lynn Williams
Robert & Janet Watkins
Kaiser Foundation Community Giving
Kroger Community Fund
Anonymous
Thank You To Our 2024
PCO Golf Classic Sponsor:
Vial Fotheringham LLC
Soprano 1
McKenna Hartley
Jamey McClellan*
Jamie McKell
Elizabeth Polay
Emily Thomas
Katrina Wheeler
Soprano 2
Liberty Barnes
Alyson Broberg
Kristi Crusan
Asuka Cuff
Victoria de la Llama
Deb Dougal
Tammy Fry
Brittany Jones
Susie Josephson
Barb Laney
Kassidy Allen
Corinna Murdock
Erin Owens
Jennie Peterson
Isabella Rafn
Brooke Ryles
Amy Updike
Ellynn Willmore
Alto 1
Janet Apostalon
Laurie Bailey
Amy Bak
Stefani Carlton
Jenny Gennings*
Kristen Hess
Katie Jones
Allyn Kirnak
Kathryn Latour
Samantha Lopez
Jodi Peterson
Helen Shellman
Ellie Tracy
Kathleen Westhora
Karen Wohl
Lindsey Yun
Alto 2
Margie Armstrong
Juanita Bloom
Jennifer Edwards
Jackie Emmett
Cheryn Hunter
Rachel Mohlman
Courtney Pixton Atack
Mary Anne Shamrell
Nicole Stoddard
Daya Tracy
Tenor 1
Keith Biggs
Chris Harris*
Joshua Hartley
Han Kim
David Robbins
Patty Weenig
Tenor 2
Matt Davis
Joe Everton
Erik Hoggan
Ken Hollenzer
Bass 1
Curtis Bedont
Nathan Bennion
Stephen Blinco
Marc Davis
Mark Deason
Helaman Escobar
James Evensen
Clark Green
Rob Perkins
Bass 2
Ben Davis
Ken Garner
Russ McMurdie
John Meagher
David Monson
Eric Motto
Michael Rex
David Riddle
Howard Russell
Piano
Laurie Bailey
* Section Leader
Violin I
Ann Christensen **
Denise Uhde-Friesen
Erin Hatch
Zoe Schlussel
Nik Price
Violin II
Briana Nielson *
Shion Yamakawa
Elisa Boynton
Lauren Trujillo
Mary Ann Coggins Kaza
Alexis Mahler
Viola
Aurelian Boudreaux *
Anamaria Ghitea
Linda Emerson
Daphne Gooch
Maren Knopp
Cello
Kevin Jackson *
Stephen Emerson
Nikolai Dorosh
Jonah Thomas
Double Bass
Garrett Jellesma *
Kevin Deitz
Keyboards
Jesse Preis *
Laurie Bailey
Flute
Anna Conigliari *
Pippa Randolph
Oboe
Victoria Racz
Clarinet
Alicia Charlton *
Lisa Taylor
Bassoon
Nicole Buetti *
Gary Zaganiacz
French Horn
Kurt Heichelheim *
Rebekah Schaub
Trumpet
Brett Randolph *
Jason Gunderson
Trombone
John Warton *
Heidi Aispuro
Bass Trombone
John Ohnstad
Tuba
Stephen Fulks
Timpani
Will Reno
Percussion
Nick Rose *
David Priore
Caryn Corbin
** Concertmaster
* Principal
Brahms Requiem
EIN DEUTCHES REQUIEM
Dedicated with love to Jan Hart
Saturday 26 April 2pm & 7pm
Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton
12625 SW Crescent Street Beaverton, OR 97005
Advance discounted tickets are currently available at musicinportland.org
PCO ARTISTIC STAFF
Artistic Director – Dr. David M. Thomas
Orchestra Director – Dr. Edward Higgins
Assistant Choir Director – Jennie Peterson
Concertmaster – Ann Christensen
ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD
Executive Director – Ken Hollenzer
Finance Manager – Kerry Morgan
Treasurer – Kristi Crusan
OPERATIONS
Technology – Mark Deason
Wardrobe – Amy Updike, Marci Dayley
Orchestra Music Librarian – Curtis Bedont
Orchestra Personnel Manager – John Warton
Box Office Coordinator – Mark Deason
Marketing – Kathryn Latour
Public Relations – Keith Biggs
PRODUCTION
Executive Producer – Brad Goodwin
Supertitles – Peggy Goodwin
Equipment Transportation – Michael Rex, Bob Anthony
Audio – Duane Rodakowski, Mark Deason, Clark Green, Rob Perkins, Matthew Percy
Recording Engineer – Greg Blaisdell
Photographer & Video Team Leader – Jordan Bigelow
Camera Crew – Kathie Robbins, Will Roylance, Carrie Lavoie
Promotional Collateral Design – Jordan Hayter
Projected Videos – Brad Goodwin
Printed/digital Program – Brad Goodwin/Mark Deason
Thanks to Newmark House & Production staff
Dr. David M. Thomas, Artistic Director 
David M. Thomas enjoys a strong reputation throughout the Pacific Northwest as a conductor who fuses technique and artistry to provide a compelling and transformative musical experience.
Dr. Thomas excels as a choral musician through his unwavering commitment to healthy vocal production in the choir. He attributes much of his success as a conductor and pedagogue to the early influence of his mother, Beverly (soprano and conductor), and his years of study and performance with Dr. Ronald Staheli. Dr. Thomas (baritone) soloed in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s well-known weekly television broadcast, on the Mariinsky Theatre stage, and has prepared choirs or collaborated as a guest conductor with many prestigious ensembles including the Oregon Repertory Singers and the Newport Symphony Orchestra.
After earning additional degrees in Russian language (BA) and choral conducting (MM) at Brigham Young University, Dr.Thomas received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire in St. Petersburg Russia. He has continually integrated Russian music in his performance and research, providing performance coaching for ensembles and soloists, and presenting scholarly work at national and regional level professional conferences. Dr. Thomas is highly sought after as a clinician and adjudicator. Artistic Director of Portland Choir & Orchestra since 2007, Dr. Thomas also finds great joy teaching and performing with his wife, Emily (Soprano), and together, raising their five children.
Dr. Edward Higgins, Orchestra Director
Applauded as a true bright light in artistry and expression, Dr. Edward Higgins, is currently a Professor of Music at Portland State University in Portland Oregon. He also serves as the Orchestra Director of Portland Choir & Orchestra, and has authored four books with subjects ranging from musical performance practice, to the Motown Record Company, and its relationship with the City of Detroit.
Dr. Higgins began his multifaceted career with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Spoleto, Italy, where he served as Principal Trumpet on such works as the Grammy-winning recording of Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra. After two seasons, Dr. Higgins went on to hold the Principal Trumpet position of the Sacramento Symphony. He achieved comparable accolades in the Midwest as a professional tubist, holding principal tuba positions in the La Crosse Symphony and the St. Joseph Symphony Orchestras.
His educational career has seen similar success with brass pedagogy and conducting positions at the University of California Davis, California State University Sacramento, Winona State University in Minnesota, and Washburn University in Kansas.
Dr. Higgins holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in trumpet performance from the Juilliard School, and a doctorate in conducting from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
With Ed announcing his retirement at the end of this season, please visit this job posting for his replacement.
Jennie Peterson, Assistant Choir Director
Jennie Peterson received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with a secondary education choral emphasis from Brigham Young University in 2007. She has a passion for choral music that started from a very young age and has enjoyed participating in and directing various choirs throughout her life at church and in her community. She is a proud mother of five children.