By Catherine Ellerton

Moapa Valley Progress

The Valley Voices joyfully announce that Christmas Is Coming at their annual concert on December 12. Photo by Catherine Ellerton.

Dear readers, last you heard I was in a dilemma of where Santa could be. I had looked behind the trees at the Festival of Trees and in the gift room and he was nowhere to be found.

Well, on Monday evening, December 12, I gave up looking and went to the Ron Dalley Theatre to enjoy the annual Valley Voices Christmas Concert. As I settled back in my chair for a most enjoyable evening, who should appear on the beautifully decorated stage but that jolly old elf himself! Santa!

I gathered my notebook and my trusty camera and started to sprint to the stage to catch St. Nick in order to capture the “whole story,” when with a nod of his head and a wink of his eye, he was gone!

And the Valley Voices annual concert was underway. Choir members Shawna Jessen, Lori Markosek, Tanner Maughan and John Flynn started the program off right in a delightfully fun arrangement of Perry’s “Christmas Is Coming.” In this version the singers lamented the over abundance of holiday food to be found everywhere.

The choir then took the familiar song “Jingle Bells” (by Pote) through the decades – from shoobedoowa thru an interesting round with “Bicycle Built for Two” and on to Rock ‘n’ Roll and beyond.

Kaluna Aki, Pace Maughan and John Zerkle tackled the music from Beck’s “The Grinch” and proved that it did not stink and it did not stank nor did it stunk.

The Moapa Valley Children’s Choir, under the direction of Deon Zerkle, announced that “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and then took the audience on an energetic “Sleigh Ride.”

Choir members, Kay Batchelor, Susan Evans, Laurie Flynn, Chris Lawter, Sandy Leavitt, Tom Maughan, Pledger Solomon and John Zerkle introduced the audience to Beck/Fisher’s “My True Love Gave To Me.” The jest was a question of “What to do with the presents my love gave to me?”

Laurie Flynn and Lynda Dimick added their pleasing voices in solos during Rutter’s “Bring A Torch, Jeannette Isabella.

Violinist Alison Hardy joined the choir in two exceptional numbers. Schram’s “Christmas Gifts” reminded all that the gift of love is the greatest gift. This number was followed by “I Wonder As I Wander” by Niles.

The audience can always look forward to being introduced to newer songs and arrangements at Valley Voices concerts. Ripplinger’s “Carol of the Birds,” Rutter’s “Christmas Bells” and Stringham/Lund’s “One Small Babe” fell into that category for this reporter.

A wonderful rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” by Crocker was well sung by the group and a stirring trumpet fanfare/obbligato played by Pace Maughan added even more brilliance to a favorite “Joy To The World” (Kuykendall) which brought an emotional and spirit-raising close to another Valley Voices Christmas Concert – a great season tradition of the Valley.