MetWinds Holiday Pops Concert: “Ring in the Holidays”

The MetWinds invites the community to kick off the holiday season with their annual holiday pops concert “Ring in the Holidays” on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 7:00 PM, held at the Church of St. John of Damascus, 300 West St., Dedham, MA. A festive cocktail hour will precede the concert at 6:00 PM, and audience members can delight in amazing desserts after the show.

Audiences will enjoy a program of musical holiday favorites, featuring creative arrangements of Christmas and Hanukkah music. The program includes the classic symphonic band work by Alfred Reed, Russian Christmas Music, and J. S Bach's beloved Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. John Higgins pays tribute to holiday music made famous from the Broadway stage in his arrangement Christmas On Broadway. The concert will also provide an opportunity for the audience to participate in a sing-a-long of Warren Barker’s Christmas Serenade. The evening will close in a fun-filled journey of Larry Mactaggart’s arrangement of Jingle Bells, complete with cheering crowds and sounds of merriment.

Mark Olson, Guest Conductor currently serves as Director of Bands at Harvard University, where he conducts the Sunday Jazz Ensemble and the Wind Ensemble, and works with the Harvard University Band. Mark has previously served as a guest conductor for the Metropolitan Wind Symphony and Interim Conductor of the Cambridge Symphony. In addition to conducting, Mr. Olson is an active trumpet performer and is a current member of the MetWinds. Mark has been a guest conductor and clinician for bands across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Iowa.

Tickets are $20 for adults and free for children ages 15 and under. All proceeds will benefit St. John of Damascus. Tickets are available at the door or online at: stjohnd.org/pops

MetWinds also participates in the Card to Culture program, a collaboration between the Mass Cultural Council and the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, and the Massachusetts Health Connector, by broadening accessibility to cultural programming.

For more information, visit metwinds.org or call the MetWinds Concert Line at (978) 419-1697. Questions may also be directed to info@metwinds.org.

Founded by Jerry Gardner in 1971, the Metropolitan Wind Symphony (MetWinds) is celebrating its 55th anniversary. The ensemble comprises over 70 talented woodwind, brass, and percussion players who audition for membership and seating. MetWinds enriches the cultural life of Greater Boston by offering audiences high-quality performances and giving its members opportunities for musical growth.

This and other MetWinds concerts are funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.