Christmas spirit was undeniably in the air the night of Saturday, Nov. 27, at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), conducted by Carlos Riazuelo, gave its annual holiday concert that night to a filled room.

The orchestra opened the evening with “Christmas Festival,” a composition of traditional Christmas music including “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night,” composed by Leroy Anderson. Also on the night’s program was “Fantasia on Greensleeves,” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, “A Rockin’ Christmas” by Johnny Marks and “Little Bolero Boy” by Robert Wendel. Classical Christmas music was on the program as well, such as George Handel’s “Concerto a due cori No. 1 in B-flat major.”

Making her debut with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Madison Greer held the honor of being the guest conductor for “March of the Toys” from Babes in Toyland by Victor Herbert. Greer, at age 8, won the distinction through a random drawing of names of students who created holiday decorations for the Columbia Theatre Christmas tree. She took to the stage and led the orchestra with the assistance of Riazuelo.

Another local resident to take part in the night’s performance was Joe Abene, the guest narrator for “The Night Before Christmas” by Randol Alan Bass. Abene is the father of Southeastern alum and former Miss Southeastern Blair Abene and is an ardent supporter of the Columbia Theatre.

The penultimate piece was a traditional favorite for Hammond symphony-goers, according to Dr. Kenneth Boulton, director of Columbia Theatre. As the orchestra played, the crowd was invited by Riazuelo to sing along to traditional Christmas tunes such as “Oh, Christmas Tree,” “We Three Kings” and “Jingle Bells.”

The performance concluded with enthusiastic applause.

“They really are exciting to see,” said Hammond resident Abigail Schmidt, “The precision with which they perform and the overall execution is just superb.”

According to LPO’s Web site, musicians from the former New Orleans Symphony founded the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in 1991. It is the only musician-owned and collaboratively managed professional symphony in the United States. The orchestra performs a 36-week season with a wide array of music, under the direction of Carlos Migeul Prieto.

More information on the upcoming events at the Columbia Theatre can be found by visiting the theatre’s Web site, www.columbiatheatre.org.