The Billings Free Press

The Meistersingers, Westwinds, Vox Nova, and the Chamber Choir, all vocal groups from Billings West High School, together with their instrumental friends were in good voice Thursday evening at Mount Olive Lutheran Church. Parents, parishioners and alumni filled the sanctuary. This was billed as a Holiday Concert. And it was, and curiously enough the holiday celebrated was the Nativity, commonly known as Christmas. The brass quintet was a little too loud for the Chamber Choir and the Meistersingers had some trouble with entrances in the Hallelujah Chorus but these kids sang with passionate hearts and the audience knew it.

The numbers that really stood out were the comic Straight No Chaser arrangement of The Twelve Days of Christmas by the Westwinds; Elgar’s The Snow by all the ladies was splendidly mystical and musical; and What Child Is This? by the Meistersingers.

A nice touch was ending with Beautiful Savior by everybody including alumni. I noticed some recent graduates among the guys and a number of proud moms and maybe a few dads amongst the alumni. It takes a community to raise great kids.

Of course I mean the Christmas Season, more accurately the Advent/Christmas/Epiphany Season if you are using the Church calendar or simply the Holiday Season if you are like most of us. Whatever bad things you may have to say about our schools, you must agree that they turn out large numbers of good singers and instrumentalists, many of whom get together at this time of the year to celebrate and they invite the community in to help them celebrate. Some notes and pictures from some of these are here.

First of all there is Thanksgiving with the Nutcracker Ballet, usually from somewhere in the Northwest, in late November. Then there are a heavenly host full of concerts by the Community Orchestra and Band, the Al Bedoo Chanters, the Magic City Singers, Rocky Mountain College Festival Lessons and Carols, the high school bands and choirs, Bellissimo, Messiah Festival, not to forget the offerings of Billings Studio Theatre and Venture Theatre, and then another Nutcracker, this time from Moscow, a trip down Memory Lane with the Kingston Trio on New Years Eve, Midnight Masses and all the other Christmas celebrations. Happy Holy Days.

Have fun but please be safe.

Photo by cemcgee