Mary Queen of Heaven hosts Christmas concert
Members of the community choir of Mary Queen of Heaven Church in Superior performed several Christmas songs during a recent performance. (Photo courtesy of Dan Hollenbeck, Superior)
Choir voices and musical instruments filled the Mary Queen of Heaven Church in Superior last Monday night, heralding the arrival of the Christmas season.
What started as a group of folks gathered together to sing Christmas songs has grown into the town’s annual Ecumenical Christmas Concert.
For the past three decades at least, church-goers of all faiths throughout Superior and Mineral County have come together in fellowship and music.
This year’s program featured some traditional favorites, including the community choir and the community band, as well as two children’s choirs representing local LDS and Catholic churches.
“This was started about 35 or 40 years ago by a group of Catholic and Methodist women who were sitting around singing carols,” said Carol Bidwell, one of the events organizers and long-time supporter. “We started thinking we should do this type of event for the whole community and it took off from there.”
As was evident by the large group of approximately 50 participants and attendees at Mary Queen’s, the concept has become a popular, traditional part of the Superior Christmas season.
“This has become one of the largest programs of its type in the area,” Bidwell said. “We have seen consistent growth each year. There is a lot of unity in this, it brings together members of communities throughout the county.”
The free concert featured several renditions of Christmas favorites such as “Angels We Have Heard on High” which was an instrumental performance by Derek and Shelley Larson, and “The Little Drummer Boy,” sung by Diana Betts, with instrumental accompaniment from Nancy Wilson.
There was even a dramatic reading of the “Spirit of Christmas” by Bidwell and a performance by the bell/chime choir, directed by Wilson.
This year’s show closed, as is traditional, with the house lights going down as all who attended joined in singing “Silent Night.”
“After the concert we have a social hour that is a really good time to come and meet your friends and neighbors,” Bidwell said. “It was good to see how well attended the event was this year.”