Thursday, December 11, 2008

december dailys--choir christmas concert

Another holiday tradition we have is going to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas Concert at the Conference Center in Salt Lake every year. We have been going since the very first year they had it--it's been something like 8 or 9 years. Back in the day before being chosen randomly from the internet registration, you used to be able to stand in line for tickets, and the sooner you got there the better the seats you got. Daren's mom, Susan, is a die-hard for things like this, which led her to either get up early, or sometimes "sleep-out" for tickets. I think the last year they did it that was 2 years ago, and I'm pretty sure that was the year it was a snowy blizzard most of the night that she and Brandon (D's bro) were out. Susan makes new friends everywhere she goes, though, and she has quite the stories to tell about people she has met there. I guess it's more "fair" now with the internet lottery, but it was sure fun when we could all go together and be in some pretty sweet seats--I was thinking this as we were watching from some of the furthest possible seats in the balcony tonight!

This year's concert was amazing once again. I didn't really know who Brian Stokes Mitchell was before, but he has a beautiful voice with a range that is incredible. We took Ben with us this year, and he seemed to like it. Probably my favorite song the choir sings, which I think they do at the end of every concert every year, is Angels, from the Realms of Glory.

We had plenty of time in our seats before the concert started, so I brought a sketch pad for Ben to draw on, because-as he says- "I just love drawing so much. Do you think I will be an artist someday?" I forgot my memory card for my camera, so I asked Ben to draw what the Conference Center looked like to him (from way up high in the balcony). This is what he came up with--obviously all the pipes was something he was impressed with. Then there is the choir seats, a Christmas tree, the organ, and who-knows-what. It was a fun evening, and I'm so glad we got tickets once again this year.

3 comments:

Grandpa and Grandma Peel said...

Love Ben's artwork. Oh Heather, we look forward every year to the Choir's closing hymn too, Angels From the Realms of Glory--it sends goose bumps through the whole body!

Alisha Joy said...

Love Ben's piece! Fabulous. Neither of my kids has ever gotten much into art . . . . of course Jed and I aren't much to brag about in the art department either so I guess it's our genes fault. But seeing Ben's work made my morning. =)

Maryanne said...

I didn't know you guys went to the concert too....we were there Saturday night! (I suppose it wouldn't be very kind of me to tell you that we had floor seats about 15 rows back, so I won't mention that.) It was a FABULOUS concert! One of my faves. Brian Stokes Mitchell was awesome. I didn't know of him before either. Didn't you love it when he sang "The Friendly Beasts"? So hilarious! Our Primary kids will be singing that in the Primary nativity this Sunday! I doubt they'll be quite as animated as he was ;o)