Joy to the King's Singers

I am such a lucky girl. Every year the Mormon Tabernacle Choir puts on a huge Christmas concert in the conference center, and invite some fabulous guest to join them. A few years ago it was Angela Lansbury, and two years ago I got to go hear Audra McDonald, whom I adore. This year the featured guest was the King's Singers - a group of six male vocalists, founded in 1968. Of course none of the original people are still in the group, but they have managed to keep the same sound with all of the changes over the years. Anyway, I really really wanted to go hear them sing, but it's super hard to get tickets to this concert. In years past you've had to wait in long lines or sit on the phone for forever, but this year they decided to make a lottery - you enter in your email address and preferred date of attendance, and cross your fingers. I was not one of the lucky winners. Neither were my parents, in fact, but they seem to have a lot of connections because they did manage to get four tickets through a friend who couldn't use theirs. Yesterday morning Mom came over to help me with the kids for a bit, and asked if we knew anyone who would like two tickets because they couldn't find anyone to go with them. HELLO!! ME!!!! Troy offered to watch the kids so I could go with a friend. I never did find anyone who could join me, so I ended up having an evening with just me and my folks. It was so fun. And the concert was lovely. Beyond lovely. It was gorgeous. The conference center was totally decked out, the stage set up like a miniature Christmas village, dripping in poinsettias and lights. The music was other-wordly - I can't wait to buy the cd next Christmas.

I guess my parents' ticket connection is a big-shot because we were in the front and center section, seated about 20 rows behind President Hinckley and his family, and right next to the new member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Cook. Wow. Talk about great seats. The best part of the evening for me was spying some dear friends a few rows ahead - friends who lived in our neighborhood a few years ago and ended up moving to Texas for school, whereupon we lost touch with each other. I spied them just as the lights were going down and I waited patiently through the whole concert, though I was wanting to leap out of my seat and climb over the people in front of me to get to them. When the show was over I really did almost knock down a few people on my way forward, but luckily no one was injured and I enjoyed a fantastic reunion with my dear friends, the Binghams. I just love them. And the best part is that they're back in Utah, so we are hoping to reconnect again after Christmas. Moments like those just make me so grateful for my life, so richly blessed with friends. And the heavenly music we heard sent my soul flying into happy Christmas-ness.

Here is a video of The King's Singers with all of the same members that I heard last night: