Deck the Halls: String Orchestra Conductor Score

Del Borgo's handling of this familiar carol avoids the predictable. He opens with a straightforward statement to ground the listener, then launches into contemporary harmonic territory without losing the essential character of the tune. Grade 1 players get the satisfaction of executing real musical ideas, not watered-down filler.

The piece begins with the carol's familiar warmth and comfort, inviting audiences into a moment of recognition. Then it pivots, introducing jazz-inflected harmonies and modern rhythmic colors that transform the well-worn melody into something fresh. By the end, you have both the nostalgia and the surprise.

String orchestra conductors working with beginning ensembles (Grade 1 level) who want holiday programming that honors both tradition and forward momentum. This arrangement works equally well for a winter concert closer or as part of a longer festive medley.

• Let the traditional opening statement breathe as an unadorned statement of the melody; the shift into contemporary harmonies will land harder if the contrast is clear.
• Pay particular attention to rhythmic precision during the developmental sections, where younger players may lose focus without careful counting and cueing.
• Balance the string sections carefully when contemporary harmonies create thicker voicing; avoid allowing any one section to dominate the texture.

Place this in the second half of a winter concert where audiences have settled and you can afford a moment of musical playfulness. It also serves well as a palate cleanser between heavier or more earnest selections, offering the conductor a chance to showcase ensemble musicality in a lighter context.

• Sight-reading in a contemporary harmonic context
• Responding to sudden textural and stylistic shifts
• Maintaining rhythmic integrity in syncopated passages
• Balancing melody and accompaniment across multiple sections