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The third song of Act II begins with the Madison Youth Chorus a cappella chorus “Come Thou Fount”. Then the strings played for a while.Next, the men of the Madison Youth Choir and the Madison Symphony Choir all joined the song, and the women and wind instruments eventually joined
wear and tear. Instruments slowly began to build. Then all the voices and instruments come together to complete this famous hymn.
The strength in the room on Friday night was evident not just in the song, but in the sheer number of people on stage.
For the first time in three years, the Madison Symphony returns to Overture Center in full force for Christmas.
They kicked off their production with “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” with the Madison Youth Choir walking down the aisle after a long hiatus.
It’s John DeMain’s thing to start with his joke and forget who he’s introducing.
“This is the part where we work overtime,” DeMain said.
He does end up introducing soloist Adriana Zabala correctly. Zabala is an opera singer widely acclaimed for her performances at home and abroad.
Zabala was of Cuban descent, and Demain asked her to pick a Spanish song for the symphony. She picked two and started with the one that meant a lot to her.
She chose the song “Los peces en el rio,” a traditional Spanish “Villancico” she learned in elementary school in Caracas.
“It captured my imagination when I was 7 or 8 years old,” Zabala said.
The English title of the song means “fish in water”. Zabala said the song is a mystical twist on the story of Mary as the mother of Jesus. The song depicts Mary doing mundane things, but the chorus turns to life underwater, thrilled by the extraordinary presence Mary carries.
Zabala said the song meant a lot to her because it reminded her that no matter what one’s beliefs, there is always something extraordinary behind an ordinary life.
The second Spanish song chosen by Zabala was the lullaby “A la nanina nana” by Jose Ramon Gomis, transcribed by Madison opera pianist Scott Gendel . She sang the song with fellow soloist Nathaniel Stampley.
Nathaniel Stampley is a native of Milwaukee and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Stampley is a Broadway performer, and DeMain said Stampley has managed to take a week off from his current performance to come to the symphony.
Before performing a lullaby with Zabala, Stampley sang “How Great Thou Art” composed by Dan Forrest in the first act. The Madison Symphony Chorus joined him at the end, and the performance drew cheers and excitement from the audience.
Before welcoming the Mount Zion Gospel Choir for the final three songs, Deman spoke of the emotion of “peace and goodwill on earth.” Unfortunately, there is no peace everywhere and we should be better off “treating people well,” he said.
The choir then sang “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” to music by Mark Hayes, which DeMain introduced as a prayer for goodwill in the world. The Madison Youth Choir, Madison Symphony Chorus and soloists sang together.
The Mount Zion Gospel Choir followed in its 17th year. The eight members sang along with the full orchestra and had the audience clap for Regney and Sean Baker’s song, “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
Traditionally, the show ends with Christmas carols and a chorus of several classic songs. The orchestra and choir, as well as many spectators, donned Santa hats and reindeer ears.
The show came to a strong close with all the choirs and audience singing, making everyone feel like things can get back to normal this Christmas season.
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