courtesy photo
Lakeview Elementary School third through sixth grade student volunteers joined singer David Mallett of Maine on stage Saturday, Dec. 16, to help present the annual holiday concert at the Highland Center For The Arts in Greensboro. Student volunteers were (left) Abigail Williams, Alizabeth Chernovetz, Mercedes Keith, Bailey Chandler and Amelia Rodriguez, and in front are Fox Modry, Scarlet Chernovetz and Adele Barsalow. Dave Mallet is at the right.
The evening also featured Northeast Kingdom area musicians including Roy MacNeil, Annie Rowell, Mavis MacNeil, Kyle Woolard, Jess O’Brien and Randy Bulpin.
by David K. Rodgers, Community Journalist
GREENSBORO – It was a virtual sellout last Saturday night for the Highland Holiday Concert at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro, which featured singer-songwriter David Mallett, guitar and vocals, Michael Burd from Maine on bass, and some 17 very talented local musicians who formed the Holly Jolly Holiday Band, including a chorus of eight young singers from Lakeview Elementary School. They gave a timely performance of mostly Christmas-themed music and Mallet’s original songs that brought a lot of seasonal joy to the appreciative audience.
Roy MacNeil started the show off with an old time favorite, “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” singing and playing guitar and then switching to violin, accompanied by Mavis MacNeil on saxophone, Leslie Campos on violin, Annie Rowell on bass (and later cello), Jess O’Brien on guitar, Andrew Koehler on piano, Harrison Martin O’Brien on drums and Randy Bulpin on guitar (and later slide guitar).
Roy MacNeil made an amusing transition to a melody from Tchaikowsky’s “Swan Lake” towards the end on his violin at an accelerated tempo!
The next selection was a change of mood from the more upbeat Christmas tunes: a beautiful trio of Roy MacNeil on violin, Mavis MacNeil on flute and Rowell on cello, playing what sounded like an earlier, Renaissance piece, a more melancholy reflection of this season having the darkest and shortest day of the year in the Winter solstice.
The Lakeview Elementary chorus, directed by Leslie Campos then sang Rose Moody’s fine song starting with the line, “This is the sound of one voice…” up to “This is the sound of all of us”, accompanied by the other musicians. The singers in the group were Scarlet Chernovetz, Alizabeth Chernovetz, Abigail Williams, Amelia Rodriguez, Fox Modrey, Mercedes Keith, Adele Barsalow, and Bailey Chandler.
A French carol with a haunting melody, “The Night That Christ Was Born,” was sung by Mavis MacNeil with her exquisite voice, joined by Kyle Woolard. Another Christmas tune combined the children’s chorus with Woolard as well as O’Brien in her excellent voice, with some brief improvisations by Bulpin on slide guitar.
“Jingle Bell Rock,” an oldie from the 1950s had Rowell singing while playing the bass, joined by Mavis MacNeil for a lot of nostalgic fun and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” was given a fast paced, jazzed up version.
“Joy to The World” brought back the children’s chorus and Woolard, who has a commanding presence and expressive voice.
After the intermission, Dave Mallett and Michael Burd were the focus of the second half of the program.
Mallett’s songs have been recorded by many major singers over the decades, works that combine memorable melodies with masterly crafted lyrics of deeply felt poetry.
He began with a love song, “Somewhere In Time,” and then one of his best known pieces, “The Garden Song,” with the familiar refrain, “Inch by inch, row by row, I’m gonna make this garden grow”, one of his earliest compositions from the 1970s.
The following tune was a plea to keep our hope up by seeing the beauty of nature because, despite the daily news, “The world is a work in progress…” There was subtle humor in “This is Better Than That,” comparing different experiences in our past to the present.
“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” advised us to set our problems aside for the season. A love song emphasized long-lasting commitment, while, on a lighter note, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” brought back all the musicians for the finale with “Silver Bells” and “Silent Night.”
An encore with Dave Mallett, Michael Burd and Leslie Campos gave an opportunity for Campos to do some imaginative improvisations on her violin as the last number of the concert.
This kind of uplifting music is exactly what we all need in these times when hope about the future in many respects can be in short supply. Merry Christmas and a Happier New Year!
