Saturday, December 9, 2023
7:30 pm

Celebrate the holidays with Skagit Symphony again this December. Our phenomenal brass section opens the festivities with fanfare, followed by glorious seasonal works with Marcel Helland and Debussy's seldom heard Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra. And finally, we'll leave your hearts dancing to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker!

Pre-Concert Chat - You're invited to arrive a little early to join Maestro Wheatley and guest artist, Marcel Helland, for an intimate pre-concert chat. Theater doors open at 6:40 pm for general seating, with the chat beginning at 6:45 pm. When the chat concludes, attendees will leave the theater and re-enter with their ticket to take their reserved seats for the concert.

Paul Dukas
Fanfare from, La Péri

Richard Blackford
Canticle of Winter

Claude Debussy
Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra

Clifton Baxter
”You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Selections from The Nutcracker

ARTIST BIO

Marcel Helland, Saxophone

Marcel Helland is an expressive musician and educator in Western Washington. He is one of the rare saxophonists proficient with the full extended range of the saxophone family, from the tiny Soprillo Saxophone to the Contrabass Saxophone, plus historical rarities such as the F-Mezzo Soprano Saxophone. He is passionate about expanding the available repertoire of unusual woodwinds and raising the profile of those instruments.

Marcel is constantly pursuing different avenues of creative expression. After completing his Master’s degree in classical saxophone performance, he has performed widely in the Pacific Northwest, and his current musical interests have branched out to a broader range of instruments and pedagogies, including jazz, folk, and other styles.

As a freelance multi-instrumentalist, Marcel has played around the world, including performances in Singapore, Thailand, Dubai, and China. He has appeared recently on Classical King FM Radio as a Bass and Sopranino saxophonist with the South Sound Saxophone Ensemble and as a guest Contrabass clarinetist with the Western Washington University Wind Symphony. He is regularly called upon for specialty expertise in both high and low woodwinds. Other past performances have included appearances with Cascade Symphony Orchestra, Ensign Symphony Orchestra, Everett Philharmonic, Orchestra Seattle (now known as Harmonia), and various small chamber wind ensembles. He has also served as a recording artist for several local bands and singer/songwriters.

In addition to his performing career, Marcel maintains a private lesson studio, provides masterclasses for young musicians, and gives lectures and demonstrations on the history of rare and unusual saxophones, He has served on the Board of Directors for the non-profits Clarinettissimo and Orca Concerts.