The Sedona Heritage Museum will host “Merry Music at the Museum” on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and later in the season will feature a play of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by Michael Peach. A reading will be held. Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m., as a fundraiser for the Sedona Community Food Bank.
“Merry Music”
“Last year was the first year of ‘Merry Music at the Museum,’ and this year we’re growing even more,” said Executive Director Nate Myers. “It’s a reimagining of the old ‘Christmas in the Park,’ but we’re trying to add more of a holiday feel to it.”
“Merry Music at the Museum” begins with A Cappella Sedona playing holiday tunes at 11 a.m., followed by Tom and Shondra Jepson leading a singalong at noon. Verde Valley Voices will perform at 1 p.m., then the Jeppers will return at 1:45 p.m.
Harmony on the Rocks, a local branch of the Barbershop Harmony Society, rebranded to A Cappella Sedona to showcase the group’s expanded repertoire.
“People should get out and enjoy some holiday cheer,” said Cappella Sedona President Wally Ruhl. “We have a lot of traditional Christmas songs that have a nice flair.” Verde Valley Voices is a non-audition community choir founded in Cottonwood more than 25 years ago.
“Right now we have about 65 voices singing,” said Verde Valley Voices conductor Joy Simmons. “We sing in the community, wherever we are needed. We just enjoy singing. We work hard to create a good sound and we encourage the community to sing our music.” Some of the songs on the program include “It’s Starting to Look Like Christmas” and unique arrangements of “Silent Night.”
The choir will also perform a humorous song called “No Time to Diet,” which pokes fun at the abundance of holiday food.
Craft activities will be available for children, and the Sedona Community Center will provide refreshments for participants. Museum volunteers decorated the interior, and many of the ornaments on display are part of the Sedona Historical Society’s collection, including historic wood ornaments, paper wreaths, ribbons, and stockings.
“This year we want to focus even more on music and we want to end the year on a high note,” said Teresa Hawkins, a member of the SHS Board of Directors. “We would love to get the kids involved and create something that they can enjoy with their parents while the music plays.”
“Christmas Carol”
Peach’s dramatic reading of “A Christmas Carol” will be held on Saturday, December 21st.
“As a performer, I get to voice over 20 characters in this job,” Peach said. “So there’s a lot of challenge there and a lot of joy in differentiating these characters. And I’ve always been interested in the fact that it’s a ghost story told at Christmas time. “
“I’ve met several families who have been there for over a year, and one family once kindly said to me, ‘This has become a tradition in our family. We’d love to see you.’ Come on.’ This is a museum,” Peach said.
“As you get older, what it’s like to look back on your life and realize, “Oh, I kind of messed up,” or “I wish I had done something different in that moment.” “And I started to understand more about why I regret it,” Peach said of his feelings about the themes of Dickens’ stories. “So the older I get, the more I empathize with Scrooge.”
Advance tickets are $10, tickets at the door are $12, and attendees can bring in food donations for the Sedona Community Food Bank.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: sedhammuseum.org Or call us at (928) 282-7038.
