Concert: Winter Songs and Spring Trifles

On Friday night, Chris and I took the two bigs to a concert and left the two littles at home with a sitter (maybe the first time we've split up that way?). The three-year-old loved her fun time with Miss S----- and so did the two-year-old until it was bedtime and then his sense of betrayal and abandonment set in, causing him to cry in her arms for an hour.

"Winter Songs and Spring Trifles" was an evening of music and verse mostly from the Middle Ages presented by The Carolina Catholic Chorale and Central Piedmont Community College's Early Music Consort, an ensemble that specializes in rarely heard instruments (such as shawms, dulcians, sackbuts, violas da gamba, harps, and recorders) to recreate music written before 1600. After the show was a Wassailing Party to celebrate good health and cheer in the New Year.

John and Mary in period costume

Period and festive attire was encouraged, so many of the children who had been in the Shakespeare play last summer wore their costumes, as did our excited children. I wish I could have sneaked photos of the children during the concert itself; Mary especially was enraptured, her face entirely lit up and her body swaying such that she (sitting in only the third row) was a distraction at times to the sparkling soprano soloist up on stage, who kept smiling back at her.

During the reception, the many children spilled over into the gymnasium for a game of football. When it was time to leave, Mary was found in one of the two places she usually is: not climbing something high this time, but with an extremely gifted pianist of our parish playing at the piano, where that young man is always found at these parties!

The Gaudium Musicae (Joy of Music) series as conceived by our pastor five years ago has the goal of presenting fine, professional music of local artists to us so the public can experience the joy of music at accessible prices. One can buy individual tickets to these concerts or buy family tickets at $30 for the entire family, presumably no matter how big--great deals for Catholics! Considering that tickets to see professional, live music are often $30-50 per person, this is a wonderful opportunity four times per year at our little parish.

My local readers may want to consider coming to the next concert on March 22, when we enjoy High Baroque chamber music played with authentic period instruments and in period style!