Museum hosts holiday piano concert

The Bandera Natural History Museum hosted its second annual holiday concert last Monday with a lively program played by local pianists Cindy Woodland and Jo Ingram.

The ladies played a piano duet. The program was composed of single carols and Christmas medleys from all over the world. Over 75 people attended the event.

The museum provided champagne and appetizers to guests before they headed into the New Spain Art Gallery to hear the music. Museum members and their guests mingled and chatted as they nibbled on the holiday fare.

A huge Christmas tree decked with ornaments made by younger patrons welcomed everyone to the event. The dinosaur theme of the tree was right in keeping with the museum’s outdoor exhibits. The program began promptly at 6 p.m. Museum President Sully Woodland welcomed guests and museum members to the concert and thanked all who had contributed to the concert. He thanked Museum Director Maggie Schumacher and the museum volunteers for all they had done to make the year a success. The sound was exquisite.

Pianist Cindy Woodland spoke briefly before each piece to highlight the unique features of the music. The first piece was Carol of the Bells also known as the Ukrainian Bell Carol. The new small grand piano purchased just this year gave the program a wonderful lift. The sound filled the gallery with amazing clarity and mellow tones.

The next song on the program was a secular carol from the United States called “Sleigh Ride” which was amazingly enough written during a heat wave in 1948. Next was an Austrian religious carol and lullaby “Still, Still, Still.” The traditional carol Jingle Bells was part of the program adding a wintery touch to the music.

Sally Jones, Tarpley resident and museum volunteer, remarked “I am loving the concert. It is wonderful. The music is terrific and the pianists couldn’t be better. It is a great thing that the museum does to have these concerts.”

Christmas favorite “We Three Kings” played in a mysterious minor key added an unique feature to the concert program. The final song before the intermission was winter favorite “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.” This tune was written by Sammy Kahn in 1945 during a heat wave in California.

The Roberts family from Mico sat on the front row of the audience with their two daughters. Fifth grader Molly Fae is an accomplished musician and vocalist, and her parents were quick to point out the inspiration such a concert provides to their children. “We just loved it,” said mom Brooke Roberts. They, as yearly family pass holders of the museum, enjoy many of the sponsored events. After the intermission, Woodland and Ingram played four medleys which covered the time span from 1500 to 1824. Two of the medleys were from Spain and Germany. The concert ended with a rendition of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” which the audience was invited to join in singing. The night closed on just the right note as audience members filtered to the front to express their thanks to Woodland and Ingram for such an entertaining evening.

For more information about the Bandera Natural History Museum and the benefits available through membership (like this concert) go to www.banderanhm. org. The museum is open 10 a.m.until 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. On Sunday, it is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Coming events are listed on the web page.