Concert review: Whitney Claire Kaufman sparkles, Holiday Chorus dazzles in the St. Louis Symphony Holiday Celebration at Powell Hall

by Chuck Lavazzi, 88.1 FM KDHX

Ms. Kaufman was a sparkling presence at the Friday night performance (both vocally and visually)…Ms. Kaufman’s degree is in theater performance, so it’s no surprise that she brings an actor’s sensibility to Great American Songbook Christmas songs like “White Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (with the more optimistic lyrics that seem to have replaced the wistful originals). Her singing throughout the evening showed the kind of emotional investment in the lyrics that made these old standards feel fresh; it also communicated newer songs like David Foster’s “Grown-Up Christmas List” most effectively.