On an evening when temperatures plummeted and a snow trickled in, long after streets went dark, some 25 singers gathered closely – trying all to fit next to a massive Christmas aspen.
Inside the Mancos United Methodist Church, singers flipped through sheet music while their director gave a cue, beginning a surprising arrangement of “Deck the Halls” set to a Tchaikovsky track.
Laughter, a bit of instruction and plenty of tunes carried the Mancos Valley Chorus on Tuesday evening as the ensemble put final touches on a “patchwork” Christmas program, showing for free this season in Mancos and Cortez events.
Director Maggie Gillette, who joined the chorus as a singer before taking over leadership in 2019, said nearly every selection this year merges a familiar Christmas tune.
“Every single song is some kind of mashup of at least more than one Christmas song,” Gillette said. “We're doing ‘Let It Snow’ ‘Winter Wonderland.’ We're doing Christmas carols mixed with classical music. We've got a Santa medley, and ‘Happy Holidays’ is mashed up with ‘White Christmas.’”
One of the ambitious pieces is a French carol suite that folds together five or six traditional melodies. Gillette said the group sings a very short section in French. But it isn’t so much about being the best; at its core, the group is about support, community and connection through music.
“We are a very supportive group,” she said. “There's not people who are like this guy or you know, we're very connected and united by all of that and we just really want to share the joy of singing with our community.”
“They have worked really hard,” said choir secretary Becky Walker. “The chorus is literally made up of people who love to sing and are willing and able to commit to two-hour evening rehearsals once a week, for three months before each concert season.”
Walker said the nonprofit chorus has run for nearly three decades on this spirit, and is a an inclusive group that’s not church based but includes members of wide age ranges, from participants in their teens to age 88.
They perform a spring and Christmas concert series each year. They typically host concerts in churches, because the space is provided for free.
“Anyone is welcome to join, many of the members do not read music and learn the songs through rehearsals and practice tapes during the week,” Walker said.
During Tuesday’s rehearsal, soloists stepped forward and practiced sets they chose because it meant something. The moment provides a small glimpse of a singer’s beloved memory or a dedication to a favorite singer or songwriter.
Concerts are 3 p.m. Sunday at Mancos United Methodist Church, 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at Cortez United Methodist Church on Park Street, and for the hometown grand finale, 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Mancos United Methodist Church on Grand Avenue.
In addition, the chorus is performing carols around the community and caroling this Friday at the annual Christmas tree Lighting on Grand Avenue and Mancos Rudolph Fun Run that starts at 5 p.m.
When Gillette took over directing, a short time later the pandemic hit, but the choir returned in spring 2021. The chorus, she emphasized, is meant to be for anyone who loves to sing.
“You don’t have to be classically trained,” Gillette said. “There are a few trained musicians, a few who picked up things in choir, and some people where it’s their very first time. And it’s OK, they work really hard and they blend right in.”
The chorus was established in 1998.
“Special thanks to our sound guy, Philip Walters, and our pianist, Karen Higuera, for their contribution to making it all work and sound great,” Walker said. “Thanks to the businesses and individuals in the community who have supported the Mancos Valley Chorus through the last 27 years.”
