Conditions at this year’s Candlelight Evening at the Farmers Museum where less amenable to photography than they were in 2007, but I did set up and shoot a couple of VRs. The one above was shot behind the chapel in a less trafficked area of the grounds, shortly after sunset.
From our home to yours, I would like to wish all of my Christmas celebrating readers a very Merry Christmas today, and a hope that all have joyous and wondrous holiday season. 
We had a very strange Christmas day today, but life is sometimes strange. This is just a quick post to wish a very Merry Christmas to all of my readers who celebrate it, from all of us here in our little abode: Me, Dr. Leah and the two fuzzballs, Peanut and Squeaker. That’s Peanut on the left, and Squeakie on the right, modeling their holiday finery. I also have a special holiday gift for you all.
Leah’s mother and brother were the only ones able to join us to celebrate, but we had a lovely time in the time we had together. Last nights’ candlelight Christmas Eve service at UUSO was a moment of serenity in a busy few days, and a highlight of our all-too-brief family gathering. Leah’s mother and brother both joined Leah in singing with the choir, helping provide the beautiful music we were able to hear. Leah sang a solo version of the Appalachian carol, I Wonder as I Wander, and our holiday gift to all of you readers is the recording I made of her performance. Just click on the link to hear it.
May your holidays, and all your days, be filled with magic and grace.
Today’s (well, once again it is technically yesterday’s) Oneonta for the Holidays outing took us a bit north of Oneonta to Copperstown and the Farmer’s Museum for their annual Candlelight Evening. The historic village is lit by candles in every window and along every path, while carolers sing and traditional wassail is served from steaming cauldrons heating over open fires. Since the Chamber Singers were again singing for this event, I decided to tag along this year and take some photos. Last year in was rainy and muddy, or so Leah recalls, but this year the weekend’s Nor’Easter left a continuously falling stream of fresh snow to blanket the village and provide the perfect backdrop for classic holiday photos. I attended the Singers’ first set, and then wandered around taking photos as the daylight waned and the luminarias glowed against the white snow.
We were there less than three hours, but those hours were among the most magical I have spent in recent days. The snow kept the throngs at bay and left many of the venues without performers, but for those who were able to attend, it was a winter wonderland. For me the most ethereal part of the evening was walking next to the chapel in which the Chamber Singers were rehearsing and hearing Leah’s soaring voice emanate from the building, soon joined by the rest of the group, and they once again sang Glory, Glory to the Newborn King. (See my previous entry for more details and to hear them sing it.) As the snow fell around me, and the lights softly began to glow, the air filled with glorious voices. It is these moments that make the holidays, and any day, so worthwhile.
On Friday night, the Catskill Chamber Singers held their Holiday 2007 concert, Songs of the Season: The World Around. Leah is a member of this 16-person ensemble, so I am at most of their concerts. The holiday concerts are always my favorites. Friday’s show featured Moses Hogan’s Glory, Glory to the Newborn King as the penultimate piece, with Leah’s soaring soprano taking the solo part. I always love hearing Leah sing, as do many others, and this was no exception. (To hear the live recording I made of the song, just click on the name above. The file is in mp3 format.)
The Chamber Singers are rather fond of sing-alongs, which can be a bit odd when they are singing “recent” pop songs written before my parents were born, but at the holiday shows, I am always quite familiar with the songs. The concert closed with all assembled singing Silent Night, the perfect compliment to the season.
To hear a bit more of Leah’s singing, visit her website, http://www.leahbridgers.com/
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