DuPage Symphony's holiday concerts aimed at families

Department stores, boutiques, restaurants, radio stations, theaters, concert halls and even websites provide an omnipresent holiday soundtrack this time of year.

With the familiar tunes so readily available, who hasn't found themselves humming “Jingle Bells” or almost unconsciously singing along to “Deck The Halls?”

For those who want to immerse their eardrums in aural holiday cheer and do it with style, the DuPage Symphony Orchestra has two shows Sunday, Dec. 11, at Wentz Concert Hall on the North Central College campus in Naperville.

“Holiday Sweets and Musical Treats: A DSO Family Holiday Concert” is appropriate for even the youngest music fans, conductor Barbara Schubert said.

“It's very much appropriate for families, including young kids,” she said.

The first hourlong musical journey starts at 2 p.m., while the second show begins at 4 p.m.

Each concert has the same playlist, which includes songs celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and the new year.

“They're basically medleys, groups of songs that have been arranged in a clever way by the composer,” Schubert said.

Six different holiday carols are featured in the German Carol Festival.

The audience will hear a fantasia variation on “We Three Kings,” she said.

Then there's a rendition of “Jingle Bells” that creatively combines the Christmas song with John Philip Sousa's patriotic American march “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

The orchestra also will play excerpts from Russian composer Vladimir Rebikov's “Christmas Tree Suite.”

“It's similar in some ways to Tchaikovsky's ‘Nutcracker,'” Schubert said, noting that the piece includes a “March of the Gnomes” and a “Dance of the Chinese Dolls.”

There also will be a piece called “A Mad Russian's Christmas,” along with the old seasonal favorite “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire),” selections from “The Polar Express” and Leroy Anderson's “Sleigh Ride.”

“They're all familiar tunes you might know,” Schubert said.

The orchestra will perform several other holiday standards, including “I'll Be Home for Christmas,” and “Frosty the Snowman.”

Songs from “Frozen” won't be featured this year as they have in the past, but “Frozen” fans can take heart. A special seasonal visitor (hint: His name rhymes with “Rolaf”) is expected to make an appearance.

If you go

What: “Holiday Sweets and Musical Treats” concerts by the DuPage Symphony Orchestra

When: 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11

Where: North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville

Tickets: $8 to $11 for students, $12 to $15 for seniors 65 and older, $15 to $18 for adults

Info: (630) 637-7469, northcentralcollege.edu/show or dupagesymphony.org