8th annual Concert of Carols – December 21-22, 2018
Mt. Blanca Fine Arts Association will present three productions of the 8th annual Concert of Carols: Friday, December 21, 2018, 1:00 p.m., Colorado College Auditorium in Crestone; Friday December 21,2018 7:00 p.m., Del Norte High School in Del Norte; Saturday December 22, 2018 at 2:00 p.m., Richardson Hall, Adams State University, Alamosa.
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, 4. Bring talented young artists who are just beginning their careers to the San Luis Valley.
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 a repeat of “Snow II – Falling” by Australian composer Felicity Wilcox – last year’s Concert of Carols featured the American premier of this work.
Participants for the concert are:
8th year: Randy D. Macy, pianist, Fort Garland. 25+ years college music faculty, 20 years as a professional church musician in Denver/Metro area, six years as collaborative pianist at Adams State University.
7th year: Dr. Sarah Off, violinist, Phoenix. Artistic Director of Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory, community college professor, private violin studio in Phoenix, and conference keynote speaker.
6th year: Nicole KandeLind, vocalist/violinist, Denver. Candelight Dinner Theatre in Fort Collins, Opera Colorado chorus, First Mennonite Church (Denver) choir director, violist for Denver-based string quartet.
3rd 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.
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 and Europe in Raisen and PORGY AND BESS.
3rd year. Patrick Blaisure, dancer, Broomfield, CO. A movement artist, full-time college student, and queer advocate. Patrick is currently studying at the Colorado Conservatory of Dance, is an apprentice at 3rd Law Dance Theater in Boulder, and researched movement at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance this past summer.
2nd year: David Schneider, vocalist, Alamosa. Director of San Luis Valley Community Chorus.
1st year: Norah Joy Clydesdale, cellist, Pueblo, CO, an active performer and educator who has performed with the Grace String Quartet, Chamber Orchestra of the Springs, Pikes Peak Philharmonic and Pueblo Symphony Orchestra.
1st year. Josh Selvin, dancer, Broomfield, CO. Josh was born in Manhattan, New York and at the age of 8 moved to Boulder, Colorado. He has danced with Pennsylvania Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Colorado Conservatory of Dance, and Kansas City Ballet.
Also performing on the concert will be students from the Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory
Tickets are $15.00 for adults – $10.00 for seniors and students and will be available at the door.
Photo: 2015 Concert of Carols. Annelore Trujillo, Corliss Taylor-Dunn, Nicole KandeLind, Sarah, Off, and Randy D. Macy. (Courtesy of Candace Knowlan)7th annual Concert of Carols – December 22-23, 2017
The 7th annual Concert of Carols will feature four performances this year. The first performance will be in the Colorado College Auditorium on the Baca Campus in Crestone on Friday, December 22nd at 1:00 p.m. The second concert will be at the Del Norte High School Auditorium in Del Norte on Friday, December 22nd at 7:00 p.m. The third concert will be in Richardson Hall on the Adams State University campus in Alamosa on Saturday, December 23rd at 2:00 p.m. A final candlelight concert will be on Saturday, December 23rd at 7:00 p.m. in Fort Garland.
Music performed will include two selections from Karl Jenkins “Mass for the Armed Man: A Mass for Peace” as well as music by Piazolla, Adam, Yon amongst others. The American Premier of “Snow” by Australian composer Felicity Wilcox will also take place at this concert. The second half of the program will include the traditional audience sing along.
Dr. Sarah Off, Phoenix, Arizona, and Randy D. Macy, founding members of Concert of Carols will be joined by Nicole KandeLind who appears in various Denver theatre venues, Candelight Dinner Theatre in Fort Collins, and with a Denver-based string quartet; Broadway veteran (Raisin and Bubbling Brown Sugar) Corliss Taylor-Dunn who co-wrote an original musical (nominated for three Off-Broadway awards) and performed in concerts in Canada, Mexico, and the United State with Doc Severinsen; ballet dancer Annelore Trujillo who has been a featured dancer with the New York City Dance Alliance and the Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre; and Kevin Gwinn, another Denver-area performer who has performed numerous Broadway and operatic roles in addition to various concert performances. First year performers are Dr. Tracy Doyle and Dr. James Doyle, both of Adams State University; Dr. Marilyn Clark-Silva, Phoenix, Arizona; and David Schneider director of the San Luis Valley Community Choir.
Also joining us will be eight participants from the 2017 Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory: Oasis Allinger, South Fork, Violin; William Krebs, Alamosa, Clarinet; Marshall Hollingsworth, Alamosa, Voice; Morgan Hollingsworth, Alamosa, Flute and Voice, Seanna Mackey, Alamosa, Violin; Lauren Manzanares, Alamosa, Piano and Voice; Derek Rodriguez, Alamosa, Piano; and Iava Williams, Fort Garland, Voice.
Funds received from these concerts will help MBSMC to provide scholarships to local musicians interested in attending the 2018 Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory. Please share this concert information with friends and family who would be interested in supporting local young musicians through an evening of beautiful Christmas music.
2016 Concert of Carols – December 19-20, 2016
The 6th annual Concert of Carols will feature three performances this year. The first performance will be in the Colorado College Auditorium on the Baca Campus in Crestone on Monday, December 19th at 1:00 p.m. The second concert will be a candlelight concert Monday, December 19th at 7:00 p.m. in Fort Garland. The third concert will be on Tuesday, December 20th, at 7:00 p.m. in Richardson Hall on the Adams State University campus.
Music performed will include three selections from Saint Saёns Christmas Oratorio – a work not performed nearly often enough. Also featured will be music by Mendelssoh, Pergolesi, Piazolla, Adam, and others as well as a couple of spirituals. The second half of the program will include the traditional audience sing along.
Returning for her fourth year is Nicole KandeLind who appears in various Denver theatre venues, Candelight Dinner Theatre in Fort Collins, and with a Denver-based string quartet. Joining us for her second year is Broadway star (Raisin and Bubbling Brown Sugar) Corliss Taylor-Dunn. Ms. Taylor Dunn co-wrote an original musical (nominated for three Off-Broadway awards) and performed in concerts in Canada, Mexico, and the United State with Doc Severinsen. Also joining us for her second year, at the ASU performance, is ballet dancer Annelore Trujillo who has been a featured dancer with the New York City Dance Alliance and the Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre. First year performers are tenor Kevin Gwinn and baritone Charles Ferguson.
Also joining us will be three participants from the Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory. Violinist Marika Basagoitia, currently a student at University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, was a participant in the 2015 program and will be performing in the two evening concerts. Violinist Seanna Mackey and singer/pianist Iava Williams, both participants in the 2016 program, will be performing in the two evening concerts as well.
Funds received from these concerts will help MBSMC to provide scholarships to local musicians interested in attending the 2017 Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory. Please share this concert information with friends and family who would be interested in supporting local young musicians through an evening of beautiful Christmas music.
Tickets for Concert of Carols are available at the door for the Crestone and Alamosa performances. Seating for the Fort Garland performance is limited – reservations for this performance can be made online at quepeeaa@yahoo.com. Tickets for all performances are $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for students/seniors.
Concert of Carols – December 18-22, 2015
MBFAA will be producing the fifth annual “Concert of Carols” December 18-22, 2015. Originally a project of Sarah Off and Randy Macy past concerts have been performed at the Colorado College Conference Center in Crestone, the Rio Grande County Museum in Del Norte, and in Fort Garland. This year Sarah and Randy will be joined by Broadway Star Corliss Taylor-Dunn, Soprano/violinist Nicole KandeLind, and dancer Annelore Trujillo. December 18th and 19th concerts will be held at 7:00 p.m. in Richardson Hall on the Adams State University campus, the December 20th concert will be held at 3:00 p.m. in the Del Norte High School Auditorium, the December 21st concert will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Colorado College Convention Center in Crestone, and the December 22nd concert will be held at 7:00 p.m. in Fort Garland. Christmas favorites such as “O Holy Night” and Schubert’s “Ave Maria” will be performed as well as an audience sing-along of holiday favorites during the second half of the program. Tickets for this event are $20 – 25% of which will go directly to support the Adams State University/Mt. Blanca Fine Arts Association Guest Artist Series and the Mount Blanca Summer Music Conservatory.
Corliss Taylor-Dunn starred on Broadway in Bubbling Brown Sugar
and Raisin and in the International touring production of Raisin. At
Radio City Music Hall she appeared in the Rockette Spectacular and
Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope. She has appeared in concerts with Doc
Severinsen in Mexico, Canada and the United States. Opening Night, an
original musical co-written with her Raisin co-star, Sandra Reaves-
Phillips, was nominated for three Off-Broadway awards including Best
Musical.
Sarah Off, a native of Del Norte, is currently completing her Doctorate
in Violin Performance and Pedagogy at Arizona State University. Sarah
performed at the Harpa Music Hall in Rejkjavik, Iceland as part of their
International Music Festival in 2013. She has played as soloist with the
Conservatory Music in the Mountains Chamber Orchestra in Colorado
and with “Up Close and Musical” an offshoot of the Colorado
Symphony Orchestra. Sarah served as concertmaster of the ASU
Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, the ASU Lyric Opera Theater
Orchestra and the Sustainable Symphony along with principle positions
in the CU Symphony, the Manchester Music Festival Orchestra and the
Scottsdale Arts Orchestra.
Nicole KandeLind has appeared in the Opera Colorado Chorus and
various Denver area theatre venues including roles in Annie Warbucks, Bye, Bye, Birdie
and Fiddler on the Roof at Candlelight Dinner Theatre in Fort Collins.
Nikki is also a registered nurse and plays frequent gigs with the Denver-based Aprilis string quartet.
Annelore Trujillo is currently at student at Adams State University.
She has been a featured dancer in the New York City Dance Alliance
Showcase at the Schimmel Center for the Performing Arts and in
Footloose and Fame with the Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre.
Randy D. Macy is also a Del Norte native. He spent 20+ years as a
professional church musician in the Denver area. He has been a music
faculty for many years with CCCOnline, an online consortium of the
Community College System. He has been a collaborative pianist at
Adams State University for the past two and a half years.