It's time for YourClassical's Christmas Favorites. We need your help spreading holiday warmth and cheer this year by selecting up to 10 of your favorite carols.
Six YourClassical hosts — Jake Armerding, John Birge, Tom Crann, Vernon Neal, Melissa Ousley, and Lynne Warfel — have each chosen five of their favorite carols.
Here are Vernon Neal’s picks, with an audio player to sample:
Harry Belafonte, Gene Corman, Milton Okun — My Lord What a Mornin'
Harry Belafonte
When I first brought my soon to be two-year-old son home from the hospital, one of the first things I wanted him to experience was great music. Harry Belafonte is played almost daily, to this day.
Traditional — Go, Tell It on the Mountain
The Moses Hogan Singers
Go Tell It is one of those pieces of music that instantly make me think of Christmas time; it can put me in the spirit in the middle of summer!
Felix Bernard (arr. Wynton Marsalis) — Winter Wonderland
Wynton Marsalis
If my grandma were still around, she’d love this piece. Wynton’s trumpeting adds so much warmth to this classic Winter scene.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — German Dance No. 3 (The Sleigh Ride)
New York Philharmonic
Leroy Anderson (arr. Aaron Diehl) — Sleigh Ride
Aaron Diehl
These are a 2 for 1: two pieces with the same name but very different moods. I love the movement Mozart brings out in his version of Sleigh Ride but Diehl’s has character that makes me want to move. Different strokes.
Voting for YourClassical’s Christmas Favorites ends at midnight on Sunday, Dec. 7, so don’t delay!
Find the YourClassical Christmas Favorites Voting Page here.
All voters can enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets for MN Opera’s opening night of My Name is Florence at the Luminary Arts Center in Minneapolis at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Then grab some eggnog and join us live for a one-hour special with hosts Tom Crann and Jake Armerding on Thursday, Dec. 18, to hear the top 10 holiday songs, as chosen by you.
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