DESCRIPTION

This was a medley written for a special one-time event, so the medley itself is no longer available for performance.

However, each of the five carols in the medley will soon be available as stand-alone pieces:

♦  Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
♦  The First Nowell
♦  Deck the Halls
♦  Away in a Manger
♦  O Come, All Ye Faithful

REVIEWS

Joe Harnell, Hollywood composer and arranger:

“Peter, I'm eager to endorse how much I admire your pops music —
it's an absolute delight! I just love the imagination that you've put into these sparkling, charming pieces.

How could I be anything but totally blown away by the grandeur and power of your 'Garland of Carols'?

I hope that orchestras and choruses around the country will take note of your arrangements, because they're terrific!”

— Joe Harnell, Film Composer, and Grammy Award-winning arranger for many celebrated singers, including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Beverly Sills

________________________________________________________________________________

Dr. Randal A. McChesney, choral conductor:

“Peter Bloesch displays vitality and creativity in his holiday pops arrangements, which delight both musician and audience significantly. Specifically, Peter finds creative and fresh ways to match the music to the text, which is unfortunately quite a rare thing to be found within the more 'established' holiday pops repertoire.

His penchant for the unexpected in works such as 'O Holy Night' and 'A Garland of Carols' startles audiences into rapt attention with their texture and beauty. Performances of these works with the Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale and Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra earned warm and enthusiastic audience reception.”

— Dr. Randal A. McChesney, Past President, Choristers Guild Board of Directors;  Executive Director, Richards Institute of Education and Research

________________________________________________________________________________

The Cedar Rapids Gazette:

“The Holiday Pops concert was lovely, as always. And therein lies the problem.

This sure-fire audience favorite draws huge crowds to the Paramount Theatre year after year to hear the Cedar Rapids Symphony play the
songs of the season... But it's always the same songs, the same arrangements, the same sing-along, the same recipe for success...
Now, give us something we don't expect!

Peter Bloesch did just that, and it was the highlight of the evening!
In 'A Garland of Carols,' this young Iowa City composer took five familiar carols, strung them together, then twisted them brilliantly into a gleaming new work...

The Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale handled the task with grace... Bloesch's orchestral parts were equally thrilling, with unusual harmonies rocking 'Away In A Manger,' before gently laying that segment to rest, then blasting through 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' with chimes and brass blaring.”

— The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Excerpt from a review by Diana Nollen, copyright by the Cedar Rapids Gazette, reprinted with permission