Christmas Gala 2011 a Big Hit!

Jonathan Lange - Stille Nacht

St. Paul's Episcopal Church Choir

I keep hearing great compliments about the Community Christmas Gala that we hosted on Sunday, December 18th.  We had a great crowd, and though there were eighteen songs performed, I never felt as though the audience was getting restless.  The applause after every song was genuine and enthusiastic.  The stage setup really helped the concert flow very smoothly and it lasted well under an hour and a half.

Snowy Mountain Brass

We had a nice variety of songs and groups at the concert.  Our ECC feature, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" was fun and unexpected.  Pastor Robert Douglas, from the Aspen Grove SBC Church, livened it up a bit with his solo "Mary, Did You Know," and the audience participation when they sang "Go Tell It on the Mountain" was a great idea.  Jonathan Lange sang the beautiful "Stille Nacht" in the original German, and the Snowy Mountain Brass quartet gave us a nice medley of traditional Christmas songs.  The LDS 7th Ward Choir was one of several choral groups, and there were also several vocal solos and duets.  Take a look at videos and photos of the concert to see all the groups involved. 

"O Holy Night"

The grand finale of the concert was the beautiful, "O Holy Night," performed by the combined choirs and the orchestra.  It really came together very well, and several people told me that was their favorite song of the concert.  Several church choral groups joined with the Civic Chorus for the performance, and the energy and sound from this large group was exhilarating for those on stage as well as in the audience.  ECC Director, Kirk Young, directed the performance.  He says he had the best "seat" in the house.  The Civic Orchestra did an excellent job, and it was a treat for the choirs to sing with them.  Thanks to Stephen Fairbanks for rehearsing them.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this concert possible and for all the musicians who performed.  This was truly a great community event.

by Sara