Southwest Singers will perform Sounds of the Season this weekend at First United Methodist Church of Cortez.
We never miss going to one of them, Cortez City Councilman Tom Butler, who used to be a member of the choir, said of the Southwest Singers bi-annual performances.
Irving Berlins White Christmas, Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and Dona Nobis Pacem are some of the classic Christmas songs the chamber choir and piano accompanist will feature at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 16 and 17.
The group will perform classic carols, including Where He Is Born and Star of Bethlehem and a Christmas cantata.
Other, lesser-known tunes include a German hymn, Weihnachtsglocken, which means Christmas Bells, and a French carol, Masters in the Hall, which begins with an almost-Gregorian chant, Southwest Singers Director Ruth Wilson Francisco said.
This weekends show is about 45 minutes and will end with an invitation to the audience to join in singing some of the most well known Christmas songs. Refreshments will be served after the performance.
Southwest Singers, now a chamber choir of nine, welcomes new members.
Theres always room for more, in fact, we want to bring up our group, Tradlener said.
There is a unique friendship between the Southwest Singers and their leader, Francisco, a professional singer.
I feel really lucky to get to work with them, and I mean that, Francisco said. I tell my husband, I love my choir, because they really work hard, and theyre committed, and they love music.
Francisco is one of the most patient people, Butler and Tradlener said of her ability to teach them to sing without them knowing how to read music.
Tradlener said working with Francisco is one of the best parts of being in the choir.
Butler agreed. The city councilor said that if he doesnt seek re-election, he will rejoin the choir after his term of office because he enjoyed his time with the Southwest Singers.
Its great ... Everyone had that excited feeling, Butler said about how he felt right before going onstage. And we were always well received by the audience.
It was real enjoyable because you learned a lot, and it was so easy to do because shes a congenial person, Butler said.
In their fifth year of concerts, Southwest Singers began as a group that performed Gilbert and Sullivan and were known as the Southwest Players, since they included portions of the duos famous dialogue, Francisco said.
Attending at least seven live concerts every year can extend a persons life, according to Francisco, who has a Masters in Voice Performance from the University of Colorado.
I think its important to keep lyric music alive because its been such a tradition for hundreds and hundreds of years, and I dont want to see it die out, said Francisco. It could be gone, if people arent vigilant about keeping it going.
