West Sedona School will host a holiday concert Sunday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the school’s auditorium, located at 570 Posse Ground Road in West Sedona.
Admission is $25 per adult and $10 per student under age 18. Donations of any amount over that will be gratefully accepted for the 100-minute show.
Three female vocalists — Jeanie Carroll, Shondra Jepperson and Susannah Martin of The Dynamite Divas — will perform along with the 21-member RedRockappella Barbershop Chorus and country rocker David Parker. The concert will benefit the music department of West Sedona School, where Carroll has been the music teacher for the past 18 years.
“We usually do a Christmas program,” said Sandy Wingate, director of Red Rockappella, “but this time we wanted to do something that would benefit the kids.”
The Dynamite Divas and Parker were also of the same sentiment. Also, there will be a student ensemble performing a song.
The Dynamite Divas bring a powerhouse of talent, energy, and heart to the stage. Besides their own individual careers in music, these three multi-talented artists have performed their sold-out concerts together as The Dynamite Divas since 2008 with a vast repertoire. Their music selections feature the most popular tunes from the 1940s through the 1980s and includes genres of pop, rock, country, Motown, disco, Latin jazz, foreign language songs and show tunes.
A professional vocalist for over 25 years, Martin’s fluid, sultry voice is colored with jazz and R&B, along with an international flair ignited by her singing in Latin styles. Martin also manages and leads several bands, ranging from world jazz to classic rock, including Martin-Sandner Jazz Combos, Flor de Bee, MMK Trio and successful touring band, 3MKi [aka Miller, Miller, Martin & Ki]. On Saturday, Dec. 3, she will be singing at the Tempe Arts Festival with William Eaton. Other dates are Wednesday,
Dec. 14, at Unity of Cottonwood’s Christmas Concert; Saturday, Dec. 17, at Old Town Center’s Solstice Concert with MMK Trio; and Sunday Mornings for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Sedona.
Jepperson is an alumna of the Juilliard School of Drama with an impressive resume of acting and performance credits. Besides being half of the popular Sedona entertainment duo, Tom & Shondra, she is also an international singer songwriter recording concert artist and publisher registered with BMI. She and Tom will perform at the Festival of Lights at Tlaquepaque on Saturday, Dec. 14, and they are starring in a radio play of the “Christmas Carol” at The Collective on Dec. 8, 9, 11, 16, 17 and 19.
Carroll sang in rock bands and stage shows during her four years with Club Mediterranée: Bahamas, Guadeloupe, Switzerland, France, Caprera, Tunisia and Morocco. She lived and sang in England for a year, traveled with the Flagstaff Master Chorale to New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Bulgaria, and sang with the Chorale in Chicago and at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. She lived in France for several years while she majored in French. She has traveled and sung in Israel, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Corsica, French Canada, Mexico, and all over the USA. In 2017, Master Chorale is going to perform in Sweden, Estonia, and Latvia. Her passion for languages is why West Sedona School students become Ambassadors of Peace every November for the International Festival of Song. They learn songs in the language of the country they represent. She currently performs with The Classics and with the Sentimental Journey Big Band.
The Red RockAppella Chorus is a 21-member women’s singing group that began in the Village of Oak Creek in 2006. They sing four-part, a cappella music and are a chapter of the worldwide Sweet Adelines International organization. Red RockAppella presents an annual show for the community, sends “singing Christmas cards” in December, participates in annual competitions and performs at many local events throughout the year. The chorus’ extensive repertoire includes traditional, contemporary and holiday music. Women who like to sing are welcomed and encouraged to visit any of the rehearsals and sing with them. Rehearsals are every Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Sedona Winds Assisted Living Building, 465 Jacks Canyon Blvd., in VOC. For more information, visit redrockappella.org or call Jan Taylor at 284-9978. Their new quartet is Sedona Sinchrony. As their name may suggest, they enjoy singing in this awe-inspiring place called Sedona.
