Happy New Year! 🥳 We’re excited to share with you what the Lord has been doing over the holiday season, and we’re thankful that you’ve taken the time to visit and read our little update. We have a lot to share, but today I’ll focus on concert-news.
In the last weeks of school before the holidays, we participated in three different concerts. One was our school choir concert, which featured our general IUCLA choir and a small chamber group of string players. The choir and audience alike were blessed by the music and the atmosphere, and we enjoyed praising the Lord for his love and sacrifice through some beautiful Christmas-themed works. We invited the audience to join us in a few traditional pieces, and then ended the concert with a rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus. It was a wonderful evening, and everyone involved was pleased with the outcome.
Our second and third concerts didn’t require as much work and organization on our part, making them maybe even a little more “fun” for Tom. We had formed instrumental small groups at the beginning of the school year, with the goal of exposing our students to some works for string, brass and woodwind quartets and quintets. Each group prepared a few pieces, both Christmas and classical, and we presented them in a small concert for the student body and any guests that wished to come. This was the first time we’d tried assigning all of our instrumental students to chamber groups, but it was a great experience, and one we’ll be repeating in the future.
For Tom’s final concert of the year, rather than being front and center, he was participating in the orchestra. Our friend, Oscar, who is the director of the state youth orchestra, asked Tom if he would be willing to help fill out the brass section for a charity Christmas concert held in a large theatre in downtown Monterrey. Over the past few years, many of our students and graduates have enjoyed playing in this youth orchestra, with 4 or 5 of them playing this year. This particular concert was special for us because one of our music graduates was asked to conduct one of the works. Even more special than that, this graduate just happened to be our nephew, Aaron Bixby. He did a wonderful job, and it was fun to observe how he has matured and grown into a fine director. It was a proud-auntie moment, for sure!
We’re thankful for all of the ways the Lord has allowed us to be involved in both choral and instrumental music over this year. Whether IUCLA or other organizations, orchestral or choral, sacred or secular, we believe that everything we do should be done for God’s glory, and his alone. We’re blessed and privilidged to be allowed to be a part of it, and we humbly thank God for the opportunities he brings our way. Soli Deo Gloria.