Festival City Symphony bringing the holiday spirit to Milwaukee in the form of music

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - Every year, the Festival City Symphony performs a series of holiday concerts that are accessible for people of all ages.

The Pajama Jamboree concert allows for kids to come in their pajamas and enjoy a series of holiday themed classics like Frosty the Snowman and Sleigh Ride.

“It really is one of the most delightful concerts to play because of the Christmas spirit, the Hanukkah spirit that people bring, coming together,” FCS Violinist Mary Stryck said. “It’s one of the things that makes this concert one of the most special of the year.”

Stryck has been part of the orchestra for 43 years and has continued to play with the group through her career as a music therapist.

"Festival City Symphony is kind of in line with what a music therapist would do and that is make music accessible to everyone,” Stryck said.

The symphony plays different types of music throughout the year, but December puts the focus on the holiday music.

“I think holiday music is so special because we connect with it and how we connect with it through memories through our physical responses,” Stryck said. “It’s really a touchpoint that we can relate to and that’s why holiday music can be really special.”

Pamela Simmons is the FCS Concertmaster and has also been with the orchestra for multiple decades.

"This was the first orchestra job that I started and I knew that I was never going to leave,” Simmons said. “I will die before I get great on the instrument, because you’re just never done.”

Simmons says the holiday concerts help the FCS mission, which is making music accessible to everyone.

“Little kids around holidays they’re just so excited and to be able to pour into that is really awesome," Simmons said. “I love the people in this orchestra; I also love our mission to bring music that’s accessible to families and people of Southeastern Wisconsin.”

Stryck says the music brings her back to a special moment, when her mom took her and her sisters to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where they first heard the prelude to Hansel and Gretel.

MARY STRYCK AND HER MOTHER

“To this day I have that memory of that special time with my Mom and she’s long gone but every time I play it, she’s with me and that experience is with me,” Stryck said. “That’s my hope for anyone coming to our concerts is to create those memories.”