STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Indulge yourself in a holiday radio show of the 1940s when Sun Valley Resort presents its 11th Annual Classic Christmas Concert.
The concert—at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20—will include traditional carols, a vintage Christmas scene of singers gathered around a radio mic and some surprises, promises Melodie Mauldin who is directing the show with music direction by R.L. Rowsey.
The 75-minute show will kick off with longtime Sun Valley pianist Joe Fos, who Mauldin says is “part of the scenery here.” It will also include performances by Lady Luck, a trio of Mauldin’s, and the Wood River High School’s Colla Voce and B-Tones.
It will even feature a band of high school students formed by Rowsey.
Mauldin and her husband John Mauldin started the concert 11 years ago as a way to get the Sun Valley Opera House involved in Sun Valley’s Winter Wonderland.
“It’s a beautiful historic property. We said: Why not light it up and put it to use? I’m just so happy that it’s still happening 11 years later—it sold out last year. The really lovely thing is that people come in and slow down from the franticness. They come in, sit down, take a deep breath and relax.”
The Lady Luck trio includes Mauldin and singers from Wyoming and Utah. They travel to gigs around the country, including the Glenn Miller Festival where the real Glenn Miller Orchestra performed. Two of the women are also members of the Sun Valley Carolers so they will do this show then perform around Sun Valley Village for the next six days as part of the carolers.
“One of the nice things about this concert is that it gives the high school kids a chance to perform with professionals,” said Mauldin. “I’m always thinking of ways we can do that and R.L. Rowsey is also always working towards the same goal.”
Tickets are $25 for regular admission, with children 2 and younger free. Tickets purchased in groups of 10 or more are $20.
Tickets are available at the Sun Valley Guest Information Center in the Sun Valley Village or at www.sunvalley.ticketfly.com.