Yvonne Orlich
In 2024 we tried something a little different. Rather than go out as a group after our Holiday Concert, we arranged to have dinner on the patio at Palo Verde after rehearsal on the Monday before our concert. It was a fun, late-afternoon get-together. There was a great mood of camaraderie, as we got to mingle with singers whom we don’t get to visit with during rehearsals. We even sang some Christmas carols, much to the delight of other diners at Palo Verde. It was a great stress-reliever before the Thursday concert. And this year’s concert was a really good one. It was our first concert under the direction of Rob Swanson. We all managed to overcome any pre-concert jitters, and based on the audience response both during the concert and the feedback post-concert, we gave the audience a good concert. Many attendees said they can’t wait to come back for the Spring Concert, and a few former members even expressed a desire to join up again. What great news!
Our director Rob is very energetic, and he managed to infuse that energy into our singing. Several of the songs were very upbeat, and that energy was projected in the concert. One of the newer, less traditional carols we performed was “African Noel,” an easy song to learn, as the lyrics were pretty simple and repetitive: “Sing Noel, sing Noel, Noel, Noel.” Even us old folks could memorize those lyrics. We also performed a non-traditional rendition of “Silent Night,” a more recognizable number, and “Somewhere in My Memory” from the always-popular movie Home Alone, with Beth Wyman as the soloist. A slightly more jazzy version of “O Christmas Tree” featured a solo by Sally Holberg. “Holiday Tango” was another fun number to perform, with its tango vibe and special sound effects provided by our percussionist BJ Van Noy. A few more “serene” numbers were “Eight Days of Light,” “Still, Still, Still,” and “The Angel Gabriel.” We were fortunate to have three members of the Sun Lakes Methodist Church Bell Ringers accompany us. In a rousing version of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman,” we had a violin accompaniment by Meredith Lomeli, along with a solo by our own Jody Matson.
It is always a pleasure to perform the Holiday Concert, and when the audience responds with enthusiasm, it makes all our hard work so worthwhile. And it is with that same enthusiasm that we returned in January to start prepping for the Spring Concert. In addition, 11 of our members participated in the Luminaria Walk at Diamond Lake in Oakwood. It was chilly, but it was fun, and we look forward to caroling there again next year. For more fun, because all work and no play gets old, we will have our annual dinner in February. For this event, friends, spouses, and significant others can join us.
Stay tuned for news about the March 20 Spring Concert. See you all soon!