Symphonic Santa
9:30am, 11am, and 1:30pm, 11 December 2021
Queensland Symphony Orchestra Studio, South Brisbane
Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s family Christmas concerts are back, full of cheeky mischief, much merriment and, of course, marvellous music.
Written, composed, and arranged by the Orchestra’s Craig Allister Young, Symphonic Santa tells the story of Sneezy the Reindeer and Izzy the Elf, who help Santa and Mrs Claus get ready for Christmas. The concert will feature new works from Young and Brisbane-based, award-winning songwriter Donna Dyson, including Sneezy the Reindeer, Santa Boogie Woogie, Santa’s Christmas Cake and I Won’t Believe it’s Christmas.
“I’ve been co-writing with Donna Dyson for four years. We both love telling stories through our music and it’s so much fun bringing new characters to life in fun, catchy songs,” Young said. “When we started I made sure most of our songs included real instruments from all sections of the orchestra as a way to introduce kids to the amazing colours of a symphony orchestra.”
Also joining the musical line-up are festive favourites like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Jingle Bells, Silent Night and Trepak from The Nutcracker. Audiences can expect some new surprises from Symphonic Santa in 2021, including a focus on the festive season in the summer.
“I’ve done a bit of a rewrite this year because we’ve been busy writing more songs that fit into the story perfectly. We have a few more songs the kids can dance and sing along to, plus a special song all about Christmas in Australia called Santa in the Sun,” Young said. “There are two words that always come to mind when I think of Christmas – ‘magic’ and ‘family’. It’s the one time of year that we all manage to get together, and enjoy the season. Actually there’s a third thing: food. Lots and lots of food!”
Symphonic Santa is a festive way to introduce young children to orchestral instruments and the fun of live music, including opportunities to join in.
For ticketing and further information, visit the QSO website
Backstreet Brisbane 
Leave a Reply