With Miriam Heiss at the organ

This evening our stake had a Christmas musical fireside and all of the kids (except for Phoebe) got to participate. The primary kids (Benjamin, Zoë, and Alexander) sang 'The Nativity Song' and 'Estrella de Luz.' They missed yesterday's rehearsal (because we were busy dismantling that clubhouse), but I'd worked on the music with them on my own so they still went up to sing. I love how our stake often (even usually) does something in Spanish at each event. We have two Spanish-language units in our stake; I think it's only fair to switch off on which language is being privileged (or utilized).

The youth (Rachel and Miriam) sang a song together that no one in our ward knew about until today. So that was interesting. At the very least their bodies made the choir look bigger.

Miriam also participated in a youth orchestra (comprised of one violin, one cello, two basses, and Miriam at the piano). They did very well together. 

Miriam also played 'Angels We Have Heard On High' at the organ. She'd practiced at this building on this organ several times and nothing had ever gone amiss, but in the middle of her performance the air conditioning system kicked on and blew her music away! First one page fluttered away, but she wasn't too concerned because she'd already finished playing it...but then the page she was on flew away, too! Fortunately another pianist up on the stand retrieved it for her and put it back up, but it was a real knuckle biter for a second there. 

My hands flew up to my mouth and everything. 

Once again I didn't take any videos of anything! But people from the stake were filming it, so I hope they'll distribute video of it. Who knows. Otherwise, perhaps we'll record Miriam playing her piece after church next Sunday.

After church today, Grandpa recorded Miriam playing a couple of pieces on the organ. The first is 'Still, Still, Still':

The second is 'Ding, Dong, Merrily On High':

Sundays have been quite exhausting lately and we're looking forward to next year's schedule, which will consolidate our meeting times...but only by a little bit because I guess Miriam will still be going in at 9:00 to play for the Spanish Ward (who are otherwise without an organist).

This year we have church from 10:30 to 12:30, and then Miriam plays for the Spanish Ward from 12:00 to 1:00. Grandpa usually stays with her; today the girls had Youth Ward Council, so Andrew played the organ and Grandpa took everyone home. I drove the littler kids home.

And then we went back to church for choir practice, which is from 4:00 to 5:00 for some...inconceivable reason. But next year it will be directly after church is over (we'll have the 12:00 to 2:00 block). Having choir at 4:00 just makes it difficult to get dinner ready, you know? And then most stake events start at 6:00 (instead of 7:00?) so today, for example, Grandpa picked Miriam up from the church at 4:30 so he could take her to the stake center to be there at 5:00. I took Rachel and Benjamin (my choir buddies) and a friend's daughter home with me at 5:00 so we could swing by and grab the rest of the family to head to the stake center. 

This was with Rachel skipping out on missionary prep...which is from 5:00 to 6:00 for some other inconceivable reason.

Anyway, the Christmas season is always busy with musical rehearsals and performances and it's lovely, really, because I appreciate beautiful music so much!