Annual Concert of Carols to feature four performances

VALLEY — Mt. Blanca Fine Arts Association will be presenting four Concert of Carols performances this year. 

The first performance will be on Friday, December 22nd, at 1 p.m. in the Colorado College Auditorium in Crestone. The second performance will be Friday, December 22nd, at 7 p.m.at the High School Auditorium in Del Norte. The third performance will be on Saturday, December 23rd, at 2 p.m. in Richardson Hall on the Adams State University campus. The last performance will be on Saturday, December 23rd, at 7 p.m. in Fort Garland (candlelight concert). Tickets for all performances will be available at the door or can be reserved in advance through the Mtblancafineartsassociation website. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors/students.

Music performed will include seasonal pieces by Adam, Jenkins, Piazolla, Vivaldi, Yon and others.  The second half of the program will include the traditional audience sing-a-long.  Also on the second half of the program will be the American premier of “Snow:  II Falling” by Australian composer Felicity Wilcox.

Concert of Carols serves several purposes:  1. Present holiday concerts for the community given by a group of professional musicians, 2. Provide a source of revenue to fund scholarships for the Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory, 3. Allow conservatory students the opportunity to perform in a concert setting alongside professional musicians, and 4. Bring to the Valley young artists in the process of establishing their careers.

Participants in the 7th Annual Concert of Carols are:

7th year: Randy D. Macy, pianist, Fort Garland, 25+ years community college music faculty, 20 years as a professional church musician in Denver/Metro area, five years as collaborative pianist at Adams State University.

6th year: Dr. Sarah Off, violinist, Phoenix, artistic director of Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory, member of Tandem Duo, community college faculty, private violin instructor in Phoenix.

5th year: Nicole KandeLind, vocalist, Denver, Candlelight Dinner Theatre in Fort Collins, Opera Colorado chorus, First Mennonite Church (Denver) choir director, violist for Denver-based string quartet.

3rd year: Corliss Taylor Dunn, vocalist, Fort Garland, Broadway veteran (Bubbling Brown Sugar and Raisen), toured U.S., Mexico and Canada with the Doc Severnsen Orchestra, toured Europe in Raisen and PORGY AND BESS.

3rd year: Annelore Trujillo, ballet, Trinidad, featured dancer with the New York City Dance Alliance and the Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre, private dance studio in Trinidad.

2nd year: Kevin Gwinn, vocalist, Denver, choral director at Denver Waldorf School, 2016 Young Voices of Mississippi Competition winner, 2015 and 2016 finalist in the Denver Lyric Opera Guild’s Competition for Young Singers.

1st year: Dr. Tracy Doyle, flutist, Alamosa, professor of music at Adams State University, 2016 National Flute Association Convention Performers Competition winner, performed with numerous symphony orchestras.

1st year: Dr. Jim Doyle, percussionist, Alamosa, associate professor of music at Adams State University has toured Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. His performances have appeared on PBS, CNN, NBC, ABC, and CBS as well as numerous NPR broadcasts.

1st year: David Schneider, vocalist, Alamosa, director of San Luis Valley Community Chorus.

1st year: Dean Swift, cellist, Tucson, Arizona, former Alamosa resident.

2nd year: Seanna MacKay, violinist, and Iava Williams, vocalist, summer music conservatory students.

1st year: Oasis, Allinger, violinist; Marshall Hollingsworth, vocalist; Morgan Hollingsworth, flutist/vocalist; William Kelb, clarinetist; Lauren Manzanares, pianist/vocalist; Dereck Rodriguez, pianist, summer music conservatory students.

1st year: Lais Harmsen, vocalist and Skye Montoya, vocalist, Adams State College senior music majors.

Caption: Photo from 2015 Concert of Carols. From left are Annelore Trujillo, dance; Corliss Taylor-Dunn, voice; Nicole KandeLind, voice/violin; Dr. Sarah Off, violin; and Randy D. Macy, piano./Photo courtesy of Candace Knowlen