Published in the December 22, 2016 edition.
By GAIL LOWE
WAKEFIELD — The town got an early visit from Santa Claus last Sunday and the big gift was delivered right to the Unitarian Universalist Church where Standing Room Only presented its Candlelight Christmas concert.
The extraordinary gift of music came from the strings of nine musicians, trumpeter Richard Given and the voices of award-winning guest artists Stefan Barner, Leigh Barrett, David Coffee, Cheryl McMahon, Peter Miller and Rachele Schmiege.
The concert took place in the Church’s sanctuary, where approximately 150 people gathered to hear the melodies of Christmas — classical selections from The Nutcracker and Handel’s The Messiah and popular holiday music like “Toyland” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Coffee and McMahon turned toward the humorous after intermission when they took on the personas of the fictional “Bickersons,” a longtime married couple who take affectionate barbs at one another. For most of December Coffee and McMahon have been on stage in North Shore Music Theatre’s A Christmas Carol where Coffee plays Ebenezer Scrooge and McMahon plays Mrs. Dilber. The two have starred in their roles as Scrooge and Dilber for the past 23 years and have no intention of giving up their longstanding tradition anytime soon.
Standout performances were given by Schmiege with “Rejoice” from The Messiah and “O Holy Night” sung in duet form by Barner and Schmiege. Both of their voices, soprano and tenor, are crystal clear and strong. The pair also sang a beautiful version of “The Prayer” popularized by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.
Miller gave a heart-felt vocalization of Alfred Burt’s “Some Children See Him,” a poem of peace and unity, while Leigh Barrett thrilled with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
The entire ensemble of singers gathered for a rousing “Sleigh Ride” complete with sound effects, including a horse’s whinny, thanks to Given’s trumpet. This selection closed the performance before everyone was invited to participate in a sing-along featuring the beloved Christmas carols “Joy to the World,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Silent Night.”
The event was topped off with everyone joining in the singing of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”
On strings were Roksana Sudol, concertmaster and conductor; Nicki Payne, Lynne Canavan, Ashley Offret, Joshua Addison and Peter Stickel, all on violin; Lisa Kempskie, viola; John Bumstead, cello and Robb Aistrup.
SRO is a function of the music ministry of the Wakefield Unitarian Universalist Church and a production of Community Outreach.
Co-founder Stickel said, “Going forward, we haven’t made a decision about next year but many people came up after the concert and insisted that we do it again.”
SRO’s Candlelight Christmas concert was sponsored by Kilkelly Law Offices, The Savings Bank, Wakefield Co-operative Bank and Wakefield Insurance Agency.
