Column: Music on a frigid night warms the soul

By Luna Burkland
©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC

On this freezing Sunday night, just three days before Christmas, tucked away in the Peru Congregational Church, concert-goers young and old experienced the joyful sounds of Ida Mae Specker, Emily Burkland, Faith Wood and Mowgli Giannitti.

The four, informally known as Ida Mae and Friends when they perform together, have played as a group sporadically over the past seven years with their mix of folk music and the blues.

This free, family event was the second annual Holiday Concert at this southern Vermont church. Featured were holiday classics such as Jingle Bells, Silent Night and Winter Wonderland, along with a new Christmas song, Joy, written by Wood, a Yiddish song Oyfn Pripetchik, and People Get Ready, the 1965 Impressions’ hit written by Curtis Mayfield that is a favorite of the church’s pastor, Melissa O’Brien.

Flickering candlelight and a lighted Christmas tree illuminated Burkland and Wood on percussion and vocals, Specker on fiddle, guitar and vocals, and Giannitti on piano, guitar, bass and vocals. The voices of the three women, who make up the local band The Break Maids, melded to create enchanting harmonies that floated over the pews, offering a much needed warmth to the audience.

Giannitti, a multi-instrumentalist, moved easily from his guitar to the baby grand piano lit by candlesticks.

Specker invited the many children in the audience to join the group on stage with shakers and bells, and to lend their voices and instrumentation to the last two songs, Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. The joy shown by the children formed a chorus of jingles and clacks so boisterous they nearly drowned out the amplified voices of the quartet.

When asked if she would continue to do this concert in years to come, Emily Burkland said she would, adding, “Next year we are hoping to play a couple more venues, including this church, like a tour.” To learn more about Ida Mae and Friends, click here.

Although there was no entry fee, attendees were encouraged to leave a donation to benefit the church’s Fuel Assistance Fund. This was a wonderful event to return to, one to anticipate for next year and hopefully many more after that.

Chester resident Luna Burkland is majoring in Food & Beverage Entrepreneurship, with a Baking and Pastry Focus at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. She is interested in pursuing a writing career as well. Her mother is Emily Burkland.