Let’s take a quick look back to our December events in 2023
We presented a concert at First Presbyterian Church of Fullerton entitled Joyful Noel, along with the Kirk Handbell Choir under the direction of Lynette McGee on December 12th. Our repertory included sacred and secular tunes of the season, along with a joint rendition of Angels from the Realms of Glory for flute ensemble and handbell choir. Joy to the World was performed along with Lynette on the organ and included the audience in a sing along. I think the group’s favorite piece was Valarie Coleman’s arrangement of Jingle Bells. It’s rhythmically challenging and jazzy. I am so proud of how far the ensemble has come on this piece! We also performed  Gesu Bambino, arranged by former member Bill Cleveland, as well as Silent Night and The Christmas Banquet: A Renaissance Collection, among others.
One week later, on December 19th, we presented a concert in the lobby of the Henry and Renee Segerstrom Concert Hall prior to Pacific Symphony’s Holiday Organ Spectacular concert. Here is the text from the website advertising our part of the concert.
Come Early! The Laguna Flutes will be performing a pre-concert show of holiday favorites in the lobby from 6:45-7:20 p.m.
I think this is one of our favorite places to play. It’s hard to describe how the sound fills this lobby space, which is at least 3 stories high…it is just beautiful.  Having the audience all around us, at all the different levels, is a magnificent feeling. This is an annual tradition for Laguna Flutes and we appreciate being invited to perform!
I always laugh at the Facebook posts that pop up about now, proudly proclaiming “46 more weeks until Christmas”. Yes, indeed the year will go by quickly and I’ll be looking for more cool arrangements for December 2024. Programming holiday music is always fun for me. We start preparing in October for our December performances, matching the appearance of all things holiday that pop up in the stores at the same time (Merry Halloween-Mas anyone)? I strive to balance the standard tunes with less expected but festive melodies. I’m always tailoring our music to the players that I have on hand, and this year, the low flutes were truly stellar! I’m excited to see what the holidays in 2024 will  bring for Laguna Flutes. If you are curious about our group, reach out! Join us.