Classic Christmas concert returns to Beaver Creek
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BEAVER CREEK – Some folks say it’s not Christmas until Pat Hamilton and Peter Vavra perform their annual concert.
Relax. Christmas is here.
Their 23rd annual Christmas concert will take place Friday night in the Beaver Creek Chapel.
They do it for the local Salvation Army’s Adopt-A-Family program and have raised around $250,000 over those two decades – and they’ve had a great time doing it.
“It’s heart warming to hear some of the stories from the people this helps. This really helps needy families, and there are more than you think,” Vavra said.
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It started with their first Christmas album, “Christmas in Vail.” To promote it, they put on a benefit concert for the Salvation Army.
Through the years, they’ve added more local talent, which now includes Sally Peterson, Nancy Wright and Jeff Layman to name a few.
“We keep doing it because people keep asking for it. I think people should do things until they can’t,” Hamilton said.
They’ll perform Hamilton’s original music, some time-honored classics, and Vavra performs a solo medley of Christmas music combining holiday standards like “O Holy Night,” “Away in a Manger,” “Silver Bells,” and more.
When he’s not doing this, Vavra performs at Splendido and teaches students to love music as much as he does.
After 20 years, they thought they might have had enough. Tsu Wolin-Brown was having none of it. She’s the executive director of the local Salvation Army chapter and a force of nature.
“It brings a lot of attention to our programs, like Adopt-A-Family,” Wolin-Brown said.
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 or rwyrick@vaildaily.com.
