PSO Presents 31st Annual Magic of Christmas Beginning December 10

PORTLAND, Maine – Maine’s favorite musical holiday extravaganza returns when Music Director Robert Moody leads the Portland Symphony Orchestra in its annual production of Magic of Christmas. Eleven performances will run December 10-19 at Merrill Auditorium.

For over 30 years, Magic of Christmas has marked the beginning of the holiday season, entertaining and inspiring generations of New Englanders. This year, the PSO will build on the tremendous critical and audience response to the 2009 production, devoted to the traditions, the story, and the spirit of Christmas. Audiences will again thrill to the larger-than-life adaptation of A Christmas Carol with new puppets from Freeport’s Figures of Speech Theatre, the perennial favorite Sleigh Ride, and the ever-popular audience sing-along.

The 2010 production of Magic of Christmas will feature the return of narrator Joe Cassidy and the all-volunteer Magic of Christmas Chorus, as well as dancers, childrens chorus and other special guests.

There will be plenty of new elements and some surprises as well. “Many folks have asked me if there will be a reprise of ‘Sugar Plum, The Oratorio’ (which seemed to be the sleeper-hit of last year),” hints Robert Moody. “I will say that I’ve done further research into this great ‘oratorio’ of Tchaikovsky, and think I just may have uncovered another gem of music history!”

Sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets, IDEXX Laboratories, JetBlue Airways and Northeast Delta Dental, Magic performances are presented Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. An additional 2:00 p.m. matinee is scheduled for Friday, December 17. There will be a pre-concert event before each concert: for the Sunday matinees, students from the Maine Suzuki Association will entertain the audience; for all other performances Municipal Organist Ray Cornils will perform the traditional Organ Prelude concert.

Magic of Christmas tickets start at $25 and can be purchased online at www.porttix.com, by phone at 207-842-0800, or at the PortTIX box office, 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. Phone and internet orders are subject to per-ticket handling fees. Special pricing for students, seniors, and groups may be available. “Magic” Magic tickets are being offered again this year. If there are concerns about the weather, these tickets can be exchanged for other Magic performances (restrictions apply).

The PSO’s 2010-2011 season is sponsored by IDEXX Laboratories and Wright Express. For complete season information, including artist biographies; program notes; and Online Insights, provided with support from Digital Enrichment sponsor Fairpoint Communications; visit www.portlandsymphony.org.

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Tags: fun, holidays, magic