This year's "Magic of Christmas" by the Portland Symphony Orchestra feels homegrown.

There's new music, new soloists, a new conductor and a new "Home for the Holidays" theme.

The concerts at Merrill Auditorium begin with a preview on Friday night and continue through Dec. 18.

Robert Lehmann, who teaches music at the School of Music at the University of Southern Maine, conducts his first "Magic" program. He helped select a program that salutes two influential New England figures in classical music: John Knowles Paine and George Whitefield Chadwick.

The PSO will perform Paine's "Sanctus" for choir and organ to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of the Portland-born composer. Born in 1839, Paine is a member of the Classical Music Hall of Fame.

He studied organ, piano, harmony and counterpoint with Herman Kotzschmar, whose names grace Merrill's famous organ.

Chadwick's festive "Jubilee" from Symphonic Sketches will open the show. A native of Lowell, Mass., Chadwick was among a group of composer known as the Boston Six, which also included Paine. He later became director of the New England Conservatory.

Also on the program is "A Christmas Memory" by J. Mark Scearce, a former composer-in-residence at USM.

Among the performers this year are baritone George Merritt, who appeared in "Magic" in 2001, and Kelly Caufield, a Gorham native and USM graduate in musical theater.

Caufield, who recently returned to Maine after a stint in New York, is best known for her many appearances with Good Theater. She also sang with PSO Pops, and has been a featured soloist with the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra.

We spoke with her earlier this week, as she prepared for her final rehearsals before Friday's opening.

Q: Tell me the best part of being in "Magic."

A: I am home for the holidays, and I get to sing these great songs with some amazing musicians. What a way to welcome myself back to Maine. I moved back here in May.

Q: What do you sing?

A: I sing the "The Sandman's Aria and Evening Prayer" from "Hansel and Gretel." I sing two medleys, one of which is "Home for the Holidays" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas." In the second medley, I am singing "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" and "How Blessed We Are" from "Big River."

Q: You've sung with the PSO before. Describe being on stage with a large orchestra playing behind you.

A: It's overwhelming, really. It's overwhelming at first, but you get used to it, and it becomes, 'How could I ever sing any other way?' It's the ultimate musical experience. It's great singing with the full orchestra, and it's going to great singing with a fantastic choir, too.

Q: What do you like most about Christmas?

A: I like family. I like spending time with my family and decorating the Christmas tree with my family, and drinking egg nog. It's very much a family-oriented holiday for me. I spend a lot of time at home. My family is still in Gorham.

Q: Do you have a favorite Christmas song?

A: I would say "The Christmas Song" Ð you know, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire." Especially Nat King Cole's verion. I just love it, and I love singing it, too.

Q: What do you think the biggest challenge will be to stay fresh for the 15-show run of "Magic"?

A: I think probably just a lot of rest. Taking the time I have to to rest, and staying on top of practicing and rehearsing and keeping my mind fresh. Lots of tea, and lots of water.

Staff writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at

bkeyes@pressherald.com