By Margaret Fox –

For the last few years, I’ve made it my personal holiday tradition to attend seasonal musical performances.  After recently relocating back to Tucson, I was very much looking forward to attending the December 11 community concert of the Santa Cruz Singers for their 20th Anniversary Holiday Concert.

In a nutshell, my reaction is that the performance was outstanding and exceeded all of my expectations.

This was my first (but won’t be my last!) opportunity to attend a concert at the Benderly-Kendall Opera House.  The venue is intimate yet stunning; I was especially taken with the glorious chandelier.

The singers, soloists and accompanists were a pure joy to see and watch.  I was touched by the selections chosen for the occasion, from the first, Christmas Welcome, to the last, A Ukrainian Prayer, which has an obvious deep meaning this holiday season.  The group’s director, Christina Wilhelm, mesmerized me with her introduction to the history of the group before the concert began.  I was equally impressed with her story of how the group came to perform A Ukrainian Prayer, a moving and heartfelt piece of new music.  I felt lucky to have experienced the concert, knowing it was made possible only through the incredible efforts of everyone involved.

I had no idea that Patagonia is the location for such a gem of a musical venue, and I look forward to attending more concerts there in the future.