By Kathy Wadenpfuhl
Special to The PREVIEW
The Heralds of Christmas is just right around the corner. St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church will once again be the venue for these beautiful holiday performances.
The two concerts will be on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 3 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. Tickets are a $10 donation and can be found at the following locations: Bookends, Chamber of Commerce, Airport Self Storage and The Choke Cherry Tree. Tickets can be purchased with cash or check.
Pagosa Springs Instrumental Music Society (PSIMS) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and is the host organization for The Heralds of Christmas. Your ticket donation goes towards the support of instrumental music students in Pagosa Springs.
The anchor group of The Heralds of Christmas is the Pagosa Brass. On trumpet are Larry Elginer and Larry Baisdon. They are quite the duo in performance and in the “gift of gab.”
On horn is D’Ann Artis. Artis plays professionally with the San Juan Symphony. She also has a beautiful soprano voice.
Dan Burch, trombone, is Pagosa Spring High School’s band and choir director. Burch has led each of these organizations to honors at the state level in music competitions.
James Kiker supports this brass quintet on tuba. In real life, Kiker is a computer programming specialist. He decided a little over a year ago that the Brass Quartet needed to be a quintet. On his own, he began playing the tuba and has become very accomplished. Kiker also plays string and electric bass.
These brass musicians meet for rehearsals continually throughout the year. PSIMS is so grateful for their talents and dedication.
One of the highlights of this fifth annual chamber music concert is a student pianist, Grace Wiersma. Wiersma has literally “graced” this concert with her performances for five years. Wiersma has studied piano with Sally Neel for seven years. She will be performing a beautiful arrangement of “Joy to the World.”
The program will also include exceptional vocal performances by Brandye Kiker, Gracelyn Kiker and Robert Neel, and superb instrumental performances by Jarrett Chaney, Malinda Burnett, Karen Mesikapp and Susy Mekeal. And, as always, the concert will conclude with an audience participation of George Frideric Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”
Richard and Carol Larsen and St. Patrick’s church create an ethereal atmosphere for The Heralds of Christmas. Tickets should be purchased quickly, as they are limited. Both performances sold out last year.
This is just one of PSIMS’s musical gifts to the community of Pagosa Springs. You do not want to miss it.
