LAKEPORT— The Lake County Symphony’s Christmas concert, set for Sunday, December 22 at 2 p.m. at the Soper Reese Theatre, promises to be an interesting mix, with a local sign language interpreter on hand for the hearing impaired, and a Napa-based choir adding harmony on one of the songs by featured vocalist singer Jude Darrin.
The concert starts off with a performance by the LCSA Youth Orchestra, conducted by Sue Condit, followed by a selection of traditional Christmas favorites by the full symphony.
Darrin starts the second half of the concert with three custom-arranged selections by local musician and symphony member Camm Linden: “Pretty Paper” by Willie Nelson; “Mary, Did You Know?” by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene; and “Oh, Beautiful Star of Bethlehem” by R. Fisher Boyce.
“Pretty Paper” was written by Willie Nelson when he was a struggling musician, working as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner and encyclopedia salesman. Frankie Brierton, a local man in Fort Worth, Texas, was Nelson’s inspiration. Brierton had spinal meningitis as a child and was unable to walk. Refusing to use a wheelchair, he crawled, wearing thick gloves and knee pads made from old tires. He was determined to live an independent life, so Brierton would sit near a busy intersection outside Leonard’s, a mega-sized department store in Fort Worth, where he sold pencils, ribbons and wrapping paper during the holidays to passersby for a penny. Nelson would pass by on his sales route and wrote his song after seeing Brierton hawking his wares and calling out, “Pretty paper, pretty ribbons!”
“Mary, Did You Know?” was a joint effort by Mark Lowry, a gospel songwriter and comedian, and his friend, Buddy Greene. Lowry wrote the lyrics to this song as the program for a living Christmas tree performance in 1991. Seven years later he rediscovered the script, converted the lines into a poem, and asked Greene to put it to music. It took Greene just 30 minutes to compose the haunting minor-key accompaniment. For this piece, sign-language aficionado and good friend to Lake County’s deaf community, Jaerae Berton, presents a signing interpretation of the lyrics and music.
“Oh, Beautiful Star of Bethlehem” was written in the early 20th century by a Tennessee dairy farmer, R. Fisher Boyce, who loved to sing while working in his milk barn. He was an avid shape-note singer and eventually held “singing schools” to teach others how to read the distinctive, geometrically shaped note heads that indicate which tone on the musical scale to sing. For this piece, Sing Napa Valley!– a full SATB chorus (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) will provide the harmonies reminiscent of the shape-note tradition.
The concert will end with the traditional Christmas carol “sing-a-long” with the audience, Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” by the orchestra and the “Hallelujah Chorus” with the audience.
The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 Main St in Lakeport. Tickets may be purchased at the door the day of the concert. The LCSA Christmas Concert is especially popular and it is advisable to order tickets online in advance at www.soperreesetheatre.com. The dress rehearsal show starts at 11 a.m. with tickets at a reduced cost– $5 for adults and no charge for those under 18. Come early to ensure a seat!
