Doug thanks God for his love of music and his wife, Marla, for her love & support. Tonight he would like to confine his comments to you as the musical director. “WHITE CHRISTMAS,” the Broadway stage version performed tonight, is among many things a tribute to the music of Irving Berlin. During Berlin’s 60-year career he wrote an estimated 1,500 songs (25 being chart-topping hits), including the scores for 19 Broadway shows and 18 Hollywood films. Several of the songs included in this production were written during the 1930’s, 15 to 20 years before the film version of WHITE CHRISTMAS appeared on the big screen. Besides his Christmas music, Berlin is perhaps best remembered today as the composer of “God Bless America,” (a song he wrote 20 years before Kate Smith first performed it in 1937); a song reflecting his deep pride & love of America.