A Place Called Home

The opening sequence established that tone. “Deck the Hall” and “We Need a Little Christmas” moved briskly and confidently, their energy functional rather than decorative. Reineke kept the wit light and the pacing tight. When guest artist Megan Hilty entered for “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” she did so not with flash, but with command — a voice arriving fully present, already in conversation with the orchestra. This was Hilty’s second Christmas concert with The Pops. The first came eight years ago, shortly after her son was born. Friday night, that same son sat in the audience, now eight years old. The fact wasn’t underlined from the stage, but it registered — not as sentiment, but as grounding. There was a sense of continuity in her presence, a confidence shaped over time. [more]