It’s Christmas music to the ears of many Tucsonans: The traditional Patronato’s Traditional Christmas at San Xavier will once again offer a virtual concert to benefit the Mission San Xavier del Bac.
“We had planned through August to have the real concert in-person, but with COVID beginning to surge, we weren’t in a position to move confidently forward. Because of the vaccines, we were able to bring performers in and now have crafted something that has the look and feel of a real concert. It is quite special,” said Miles Green, executive director of the Patronato San Xavier, a nonprofit dedicated to the ethical conservation and preservation of the historic mission located at 1950 W. San Xavier Road on the Tohono O’odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation.
The first-ever virtual performance last year drew more than 1,000 hits from 35 states nationwide, expanding the reach not only of the beloved concert and local performers, but also of the mission itself, which is hailed by many experts as one of the finest examples of Mexican Baroque architecture in the country.
“The reach went well beyond Tucson. I think a lot of it was word of mouth — people sharing the website because they wanted others to access what they have come to love as part of a Southern Arizona tradition. An unexpected consequence was that it brought new faces to the Mission virtually. Giving audiences the opportunity to see the restoration we are doing has helped to push our conservation initiatives,” said Green.
The 2021 virtual concert has integrated six new pieces into the performance, which is filmed in the altar area where the concert is traditionally staged. The performance replicates the feel of the traditional concert, welcoming the audience with a bell-ringing by Ivan Burrell, a member of Tohono O’odham community. Performances of “Silent Night” — one by local tenor Carlos Zapien accompanied by a guitarist and the other a traditional medley by the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus — serve as bookends for the concert, which also features “The Little Drummer Boy” in Spanish by baritone Octavio Moreno and a fresh performance of “Ave Maria” by soprano Lindsey HcHugh in concert with the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus. The audience can also expect holiday classics such as “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “Joy to the World,” “Oh Tannenbaum,” “Silent Night” and many more.
“Our producer, Dan Duncan, is so creative in his ability to work with the kinds of restrictions forced on us. He has a real sense of vision and was able to craft something new and fresh for this year,” said Green.
