As most musicians can attest to.....we get really busy during December. Everyone loves Christmas music....and I am no different. Our busy schedule started the last weekend in November.....Jenni and I played piano and violin duets for her Stake's Festival of the Nativities in Bellevue, Washington. It was a cold, wet night and driving down to Bellevue that evening was not much fun.
The next week, was our Stake, the Arlington Washington Stake's Nativity Festival. I direct the choir for the Concert which is held on both Saturday and Sunday evenings. This year we had 67 voices in the choir.....the biggest that we've ever had. It is a lot of work, but also extremely enjoyable and rewarding. I was just released as the Stake Music Chairman, but I was asked to still the direct the choir this year.
Jenni, Will, Preston and Taylor came and stayed Saturday night with us. I had asked Jenni to play her arrangement of "Carol of the Bells" with the choir, so she needed to be here for both Concerts. I think that Preston and Taylor got "musiced out", so they didn't want to sit still during the concert. Will kept them busy and out of mischief by walking the halls and looking at the displays during the concert. Afterward, Taylor came running to grandpa.....he was grandpa's shadow while they were here.
After the second concert, we were all tired......there was no way that Taylor was going to look at the camera and smile.
We also had a string ensemble from members of our stake. We played Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze". We have quite a few violinists in our stake....even a couple of cellists. (photo during dress rehearsal on Saturday morning.)
Jenni and I after one of the Concerts.
During the Nativity Festival, there is live music being played the entire time. Jenni and I took a 45 minute time slot, playing piano and violin. It's not often that we get the chance to play together.
Photo, during the second night Concert. We had an amazing choir....they were so much fun to conduct.....and there were so good about following. It was an amazing sound.
Ron and I after the second concert......It was a long couple of nights, but worth the effort.
Jenni and I played violin and piano duets during the Nativity Festival.....we took turns doing both, so we both got an opportunity to play both piano and violin. We had several violin duets ready to play, but I was so rattled when I left the house that afternoon, that I left them home. I felt really disappointed, because they were really fun duets to play. Sigh. Stress.
I also took another 45 minute time slot during the Nativity Festival to play solo piano. I had put together an entire book of a collection of different Christmas Carols......more on the reverent side....not the "Jingle Bell" type of songs. The music played the entire time during the festival so people who were walking through all the displays, heard beautiful Christmas Music the entire time. It really set the mood perfectly.
This year, there were about 530 Nativity Sets from all over the world. It was incredibly beautiful.
But everyone's favorite room by far, was the "Life of Christ" room. There was just a reverent feeling within the room. It was decorated with all kinds of artwork of the Savior. This year, there was even a tomb, representing where Christ was buried.
Our Stake is going to continue to do this every year. And each year it just gets better and better. Ron really had the wonderful vision when he decided to start doing this in our stake. It is open to the public, without charge, and the concerts are free as well. There is no room for doubt that we believe in Jesus Christ.
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