On Friday afternoon at Powell Symphony Hall, Santa held court and took requests in the holiday-splendid lobby. Offstage, the uniform of the day seemed to be Christmas sweaters; onstage, members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra wore red ties, scarves, and sparkling ruby slippers for first of the SLSO's annual Holiday Celebration concerts.

There were old favorites and new arrangements, all led by resident conductor Ward Stare. Santa took the stage, bantering with Stare, and there was a new choir onstage, the Holiday Festival Chorus. The Chorus was formed this fall with students from four high schools who sang like old hands: Fort Zumwalt West, Ladue Horton Watkins, McCluer North and Normandy and directed by Kevin McBeth. It's a great idea, and one that deserves to continue.

The featured guest artist, pop vocalist Sam Harris, has a pleasant voice and a stage persona to match. His crooning on the program's pop standards - including "The Christmas Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - charmed his audience.

Some music ought to be off limits for "stylings"; "O Holy Night" deserved better. Some of Harris' emotive mannerisms are vocally unhealthy, and likely to land him in the care of an ENT sooner or later.

Stare and the orchestra shone in Duke Ellington's jazzy arrangement of selections from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" Suite. It featured double bassist David DeRiso, the brass section, and percussionist John Kasica on traps, in one of the most enjoyable pieces in the program.

Amplification might be necessary for the chorus, but the execution needs some work: an electronic hum and crackle were audible whenever their mikes were turned on, and the sound of pages turning was a distraction.