The Three Rivers Singers & Atlanta Festival Brass

If we hadn't had the Christmas spirit yet we would have it now. Sheila and I just got back home from the annual Christmas concert of the Three Rivers Singers. A full house at the First Baptist Church got to enjoy this large choir accompanied by two wonderful keyboard artists, as well as the Atlanta Festival Brass, and occasionally a couple of percussionists, as they presented a program of fourteen pieces. Magnificent. I especially enjoyed 

• the "Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem" sung to the English melody (Part of a medley labeled "A Vaughn Williams Christmas"-- I have sung that version for Christmas programs several times.
• "The Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy", a folk song I've known from my youth.
• the "Twelve Days of Christmas", a unique version based on that of the Canadian Brass and featuring the Festival Brass playing snippets of pieces by famous composers - the twelfth verse is a grande finale of all twelve bits that end in a great flourish.
• and since I love to sing myself, I always enjoy joining in on the seven tune medley: "Carol Sing-a-Long".

The director is Len Willingham, whom I knew in my high school days at West Rome, and who has subbed briefly as our director at Trinity. The percussionists Kay and Randy Bratton are old acquaintances. Joan Hill and Kim Tunnell sometimes played four-handed organ, sometimes four-handed piano, and sometimes one played one instrument and the other the other. 

And at 75, it feels good to see so many old friends and acquaintances in the choir:

Barbara Elliott, Lila Farless, Millie Kim, Virginia McChesney, Christine Puckett, Ann Tankersley, Harriett Norris, Jenny Sills, Jane Slickman, Lynn Todino, Gary Batchelor, Jim Curry, Dennis Johnston, Bob Steinbruegge, Joel Todino, Terry Dollar, and Frank Norris. (I'm sure there are others I'm overlooking.)

And we got to sit with an old friend, Leigh Callan. Beth and Matthew Gibbons sat right in front of us and it was good to get to say hello to them.  We saw Bitsy Burton, Carol Winkle Baldwin,  and Paul and Shari Culotta as we were leaving. 

[Note: This blog has gradually devolved into more of a public personal journal than a blog anymore. Anyone is free to peek, but I write mainly to remind myself of who and what I see and hear and experience-- thus the long list of names.]