WHO COULD VOSK FOR ANYTHING MORE?
I can think of no better way to celebrate the holidays than at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops’ Merry and Bright, featuring Jessica Vosk (Wicked, Fiddler on the Roof, Finding Neverland and soon to join Broadway’s Hell’s Kitchen) and the chorus of Judith Clurman’s Essential Voices USA.
Steven Reineke directed a program filled with goodies, from Jerry Herman’s “We Need a Little Christmas” to traditional carols like “Do You Hear What I Hear” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful” to Mariah Carey’s perennial bestseller, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Many of these songs were given full-throated expression by the formidable Vosk. In fact, her rendition of “O Holy Night” brought many in the audience to their feet.
Jessica Vosk, Steven Reineke
Vosk took the opportunity to put in a plug for her new Christmas album, Sleigh, conveniently available in Carnegie Hall’s gift shop. But this also provided her with the opportunity to bring onstage her surprise guest, Neil Patrick Harris, who collaborated with her on some of the songs on the album.
Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Vosk
She also proved herself an excellent raconteur with stories that included her once showing an audience a bag of sequins from a jacket Judy Garland wore at her famed Carnegie Hall show, which Vosk said ended up looking like “a bag of drugs, Merry Christmas!”
Judith Clurman
For those celebrating Chanukah, Judith Clurman and David Chase’s “Eight Days of Light,” was a moving tribute to a holiday celebrating religious freedom.
Santa Claus
But of course the very special guest was the man from the North Pole himself, Santa, accompanied by one of his elves, Pecan Pie. They both walked down an aisle and mounted the stage to spread cheer and goodwill to the audience. They even participated in the traditional singalong that ends these concerts, allowing everyone to join in on their favorite holiday songs.
Pecan Pie, Santa Claus, Jessica Vosk, and Essential Voices USA
As the evening drew to a close, Reineke and Vosk shared their holiday wishes. Reineke hoped he will eventually get Dolly Parton to join him on the stage. That’s something we can all look forward to.
photos by Genevieve Rafter Keddy
The New York Pops Merry and Bright
The New York Pops
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, 57th St. & 7th Ave.
reviewed on December 20, 2025
ends on December 21, 2025
