Photo courtesy Sally NeelBy Sally Neel
Special to The PREVIEW
St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church will present the NightSong Trio in concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening, Oct. 24.
The benefit concert is free of charge with a suggested donation of $10 (or more) at the door. Proceeds will go to assist Loaves and Fishes, a local nonprofit organization that offers free hot lunches every Thursday in the Parish Hall on Lewis Street.
The concert, entitled “A Musical Feast,” will delight the musical palates of all who attend. NightSong Trio, with Jessica Peterson on flute, Heidi Tanner on violin and Sally Neel at the piano, will offer up a menu of musical treats that will leave you wanting to come back for more.
The trio will perform a mixture of musical styles including baroque, classical, impressionist, modern and Celtic. There will be a few exciting musical surprises as well, showing off the diversity of talent and styles offered by this local ensemble.
The NightSong Trio was formed in 2010 as the result of the three local musicians combining their talents to play for a special service at St. Patrick’s.
They had so much fun, they decided to play together more frequently to further explore some of the wonderful music available to this particular combination of instruments. Initially, they got together for the fun of playing, but after a while, they realized that they could offer their gifts to others and decided to officially establish themselves as a trio.
They named themselves The NightSong Trio and, in addition to concerts, have been the featured guests at numerous statewide Episcopal conferences and fundraising events and have played for numerous services at St. Patrick’s. Recently, they performed in Cortez at St. Barnabus Episcopal Church as a fundraiser for Grace’s Kitchen, a hot lunch program provided by the church. They were warmly received and proved to be a great help in providing funding for the church’s ministry.
They have never taken money from their concerts for personal gain. They prefer instead to use their musical gifts to help others. They are currently working on a project to provide CDs to churches who would like to use their music for worship or meditational purposes. This has been an ongoing request by clergy in the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado who have heard them play. Recording is long and tedious work, but because of the continued requests, they have set it as a goal for the group.
All three of these women work full time, so getting together on a regular basis is a real commitment. Rehearsals have proven to be a special time in their otherwise busy schedules, offering them the opportunity to keep their musical skills honed and to play in ensemble with special friends. The music is challenging enough to make them practice a little harder and stretch their abilities.
“Playing with Heidi and Jessica certainly keeps me sharp,” said Neel. “These ladies are exceptionally talented and a true delight to work with. I think our genuine friendship shows through in our playing. We play from the heart and, through our continuous work together, we enjoy a special connection that helps us play as a true ensemble, anticipating each phrase and nuance of the music. We always leave our rehearsals feeling challenged and refreshed. If our music can assist others in enjoying what we are creating together, then that is icing on the cake.”
