By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
For the second straight year, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra is performing a Holiday Extravaganza benefit concert at West Haven High School on Dec. 19.
The 7 p.m. concert, held in the school auditorium at 1 McDonough Plaza, is presented by Mayor Dorinda Borer and will raise money for the music departments of Carrigan Intermediate and Bailey Middle schools.
Tickets cost $20 for orchestra seating and $15 for mezzanine seating.
Tickets are sold only in advance on the GoFan website at https://gofan.co/event/seat-selection/4064836?schoolId=CT17504 and the NHSO website at https://newhavensymphony.org/event/holiday-westhaven/.
According to its website, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, led by principal pops conductor Chelsea Tipton II, will perform “a holly jolly program of festive favorites, sing-along carols, and seasonal surprises for the whole family!”
Highlights will include music from “The Polar Express,” “Home Alone,” “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” and “Sleigh Ride,” as well as a visit with a special guest from the North Pole, according to the website.
The New Haven Symphony is America’s fourth-oldest orchestra, founded in 1894.
For more than a century, the NHSO has continued the traditions of performance and education by supporting programs in schools and communities and presenting classical repertoire and pops concerts.
The orchestra has performed regularly in New Haven and toured throughout Connecticut and beyond, including concerts at New York’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. It has also given numerous radio broadcasts.