“Home for Christmas” a concert home run

Courtesy of Leah Thayer Ferguson | Photos by Ian Herbst

The December concert of the Middleburg Concert Series (MCS) once again demonstrated the level of professional talent that these increasingly popular quarterly performances offer to our community and its visitors. Featured artists for the Christmas concert were members of the MCS “family” that included musicians in residence Dr. Alan Saucedo (cello), Cynthia Saucedo (violin) and Karen Chase (voice), as well as organists and steering committee members Dr. Dudley Oakes and Dr. Steven Cooksey.

A breathtaking and emotional highlight of the concert was a duet of “O Holy Night” sung by guest vocalists Michael Forest (tenor) and Dr. Aimé Sposato (soprano). Audience members seemed especially intrigued by an instrument used in Corelli’s “Fatto Per La Notte Di Natale,” which included a unique performance by Michael Murphy on the theorbo, a string instrument first developed in late 16th century Italy, and Maryory Serrano on the violin. The majestic concert finale was the entire audience joining all the vocalists and musicians in “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

Major sponsors for the concert were Greenhill Winery & Vineyards, Bank of Charlestown and the Town of Middleburg joined by numerous donors from the Middelburg area. According to co-chairs Linda Taylor and Leah Ferguson, the MCS mission to provide virtuoso performances to the community with free admission and receptions following would be impossible without the generosity of the sponsors.

The first concert of 2017 will be March 26. ML