Palm Beach Symphony Releases First Recording For the Holidays

“Sounds of the Season” to be available for streaming and download 

By: Dec. 07, 2022
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Palm Beach Symphony Releases First Recording For the Holidays

Palm Beach Symphony announces the release of its first recording, "Sounds of the Season," featuring holiday favorites from classical and popular music. The release is available to stream and purchase on all major platforms and is produced by multi-Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning producer Carlos Fernando Lopez. It is distributed by LandL Entertainment and Sony Latin America.

On the recording Palm Beach Symphony is conducted by its Music Director and 14-time Grammy Award nominee Gerard Schwarz. "Sounds of the Season" adds to his extensive catalogue of more than 350 recordings on 11 labels that includes "The Gerard Schwarz Collection," a 30-CD box set.

"Palm Beach Symphony has performed wonderful "Sounds of The Season" holiday concerts for broadcast by Sinclair Broadcasting's digital and streaming platforms for the past three years and the results have been so fantastic we were encouraged to create a holiday CD," Maestro Schwarz said. "The musicians have delivered a warm and welcoming soundtrack to the holidays that we know everyone will enjoy."

The new release features Maestro Schwarz' arrangement of Handel's Concerto for Brass Quintet, Movements 2 and 4 as well as "Silent Night," "We Three Kings of Orient Are" and Pachelbel's "Canon in D Major," arguably one of the most famous and recognizable pieces of classical music.

The recording offers many orchestral favorites including "Glory to God" and "Hallelujah" from Handel's "Messiah" followed in the program by beloved melodies from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite No. 1, Op. 71A which include the "Overture Miniature" and spirited dances including the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."

In the festive spirit, the Symphony cheerily delivers Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" and the composer's "Christmas Festival" medley of eight popular carols and "Jingle Bells."

This first recording brings Palm Beach Symphony to an international audience and comes during a year when concerts in the Dale A. McNulty Children's Concert Series became available nationally on public broadcasting stations for the first time. Locally, the Symphony also expanded its 2022-2023 season by adding a sixth Masterworks Series concert at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach and two concerts of Handel's "Messiah" to its schedule.

"Some might consider 'Sounds of the Season,' to be the apex of this season, and I would agree that it is where all ascending lines now converge but it is far from the peak," said Palm Beach Symphony CEO David McClymont. "We will performing the first of five new works we have commissioned by American composers this season and plan to continue our upward trajectory in our 50th Anniversary Season next year."

Internationally recognized for his moving performances, innovative programming, and extensive catalog of recordings, Maestro Schwarz is a leader both in the southeast region and globally. Locally, he is also Music Director of the Frost Symphony Orchestra and Distinguished Professor of Music, Conducting and Orchestral Studies at University of Miami's Frost School of Music. Nationally, he is Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival and Mozart Orchestra of New York as well as Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony and Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival. In his five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor, Maestro Schwarz has received hundreds of honors and accolades including nine Emmy Awards, eight ASCAP Awards and numerous "Stereo Review" and Ovation Awards. He holds the Ditson Conductor's Award from Columbia University, was the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America and has received numerous honorary doctorates. His memoir, "Behind the Baton," was released by Amadeus Press in March 2017.

Palm Beach Symphony is South Florida's premier orchestra known for its diverse repertoire and commitment to community. Founded in 1974, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization adheres to a mission of engaging, educating, and entertaining the greater community of the Palm Beaches through live performances of inspiring orchestral music. The orchestra is celebrated for delivering spirited performances by first-rate musicians and distinguished guest artists. Recognized by The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County with a 2020 Muse Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, Palm Beach Symphony continues to expand its education and community outreach programs with children's concerts, student coaching sessions and master classes, instrument donations and free public concerts that have reached more than 64,000 students in recent years. For more information, visit www.palmbeachsymphony.org.



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