program notes by composition > C > A Christmas Portrait

A Christmas Portrait

arr. Jerry Nowak

A Christmas Portrait: "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas," was written by Meredith Willson and made popular by Perry Como, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Big Bird, and Johnny Mathis. "The Christmas Song" was writ- ten by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé and became a hit by Nat King Cole. "We Need A Little Christmas" is from the Broadway musical Mame.

Jerry Nowak (1936–2015) was a prolific arranger/composer, conductor, author and teacher. Born in Detroit and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Music and a Master of Music Composition at College of New Jersey, formerly Trenton State College. Early in his career he worked as a woodwind player and session singer in New York and Philadelphia. He was a fixture on the Dixieland jazz scene in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a founding member of the Philadelphia Saxophone Quartet, the New Jersey Saxophone Quartet and the Delaware Valley Wind Symphony.

Last updated on December 6, 2018 by Palatine Concert Band