Alastair Willis makes ‘Merry’ with the CSO

When Alastair Willis leads selections from Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky in “Merry, Merry Chicago!,” it’s likely to evoke memories of his childhood time in Russia. 

With his family, the American-born Willis spent five years in Moscow, where his mother, a dance critic, covered performances by the Bolshoi and the Kirov. “She learned Russian while we were there so she also could translate for the Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet companies — then the best in the world,” he said in a recent interview of his mother, who developed longstanding friendships with company members. “Many dancers would come visit us at our home.”

This season will mark Willis’ first time leading members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the annual holiday revue “Merry, Merry Chicago!,” which runs for six performances Dec. 17-23. Carols and yuletide music, such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Dance of the Tumblers” from The Snow Maiden and selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker will be heard, along with winter-themed Broadway tunes featuring vocalist Jessica Vosk.

The music director of the South Bend (Ind.) Symphony Orchestra, Willis has guest-conducted around the world, with podium assignments including the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Mexico City Philharmonic, Orquestra Sinfonica de Rio de Janeiro, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and China National Orchestra in Beijing. His recording of Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortileges with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Opera received a Grammy nomination for best classical recording.

Wherever he goes, Willis remains an ambassador for live performance. “Everyone deserves to have an experience with live music, wherein they can escape from this world and find emotional solace,” he said. “It is our job as artists to provide this to them, as in any art form.”