The ASO Begins a New Holiday Tradition

November 13, 2025
By: Jon Ross

Holiday music is for everyone.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra created the new “Sounds of the Season” with this maxim in mind. The goal is to spread seasonal cheer to as many communities as possible.

Atlantans still have “Christmas with the ASO” and the annual singing of Handel’s “Messiah.” This new offering welcomes listeners with different holiday traditions as well as those who simply need more non-denominational music to get in the spirit.

On December 23, prepare for a concert that bridges generations and styles. Works like Samuel Coleridge Taylor’s “Christmas Overture” and "Hanukkah Festival Overture" by Lewis Richman dominate the first half of the program. After intermission, listeners will hear “Medley from ‘Frozen,’” “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.”

Assistant Conductor Finan Jones leads the ASO in a program designed to represent the holidays to diverse groups of listeners.

“We wanted to do something a bit different, something with more music that people who don’t regularly come to the concert hall might be familiar with – some film music, some pop music and some traditional songs that people will know,” he said.

Jones said it was important to find classical works that struck a balance between familiarity and intrigue before creating a party atmosphere after intermission.

“The second half, we bring the disco ball in, and the audience will get up and sing,” he said. “We’re going to try to teach them some dances, and everyone’s going to go out into the night with that holiday warmth in their hearts.”

Even with more pop-leaning tunes, Jones stressed the importance of not going through the motions musically.

“There’s always a risk with programming that seeks to bring in a new audience; we can risk talking down to them,” he said. “So it’s about feeding that curiosity that brings people to the concert hall.”

In his career, Jones has looked to present the unexpected. This helps subvert any preconceived notions about classical concerts and empowers listeners to simply experience music without thinking about genre boundaries and other strict musical rules. The conductor notes that he hones this approach by constantly sketching out programs in his mind.

“Before young people are taught the differences between all these sounds they hear pumping out of the radio or the record player or their phones, they don’t know they should listen to a piece of Mark Anthony Turnage or Caroline Shaw differently to a piece by Bach or Beethoven, and that’s really exciting to me,” Jones said.

So how does one program? Jones said it boils down to listening to as much music as he can, researching composers and talking with other artistic planners for constructive criticism. This broad manner of thinking, being open to new ideas, is one way to keep holiday programming fresh. New listeners give Jones the space to take programming risks.

“Those audiences are the ones that can have the most open ears,” he said. “They turn up with so few expectations .. you can make wacky programming decisions when you have groups like that.”

Learn more about Sounds of the Season (Tue. Dec. 23, 7pm) at aso.org/holidays