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The Al Opland Singers rehearse a song from their upcoming Christmas show, “Let Heaven & Nature Sing,” at the Pipestone Performing Arts Center. Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 4, 5 and 6 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
The Al Opland Singers will present their Christmas show, “Let Heaven & Nature Sing,” Dec. 4 through 7 at the Pipestone Performing Arts Center (PPAC).
Emily Blaeser and Samantha Davis are co-producing the production and Davis is also directing. Part of the producers’ job is to pick the name and songs for the show. Blaeser said the title and music for this year’s show came from a dream she had last year about a botanical Christmas show. She thought the idea was silly at first, but as they thought about it, they decided it might work.
“There are so many Christmas sings — both traditional carols and pop songs — that have to do with nature and the weather and all that,” Blaeser said.
They ran with the idea, hence the nature in “Let Heaven and Nature Sing,” and selected the music accordingly. Some of the songs included in the show are “O Holy Night,” “Winter Song,” “White Christmas,” “In the Bleak Midwinter,” “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” and “A Muppet Christmas Carol Medley.”
“It was nice with this theme that there was a great balance of sacred and secular just kind of naturally,” Blaeser said.
Members of the Al Opland Singers prepare for their upcoming
Christmas show. The show, titled “Let Heaven & Nature Sing” opens Thursday, Dec. 4 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 7 at the Pipestone
Performing Arts Center. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
Twenty-one members of the Al Opland Singers will take the stage during the production with a variety of solo and ensemble parts featuring different members of the group. The members come from Pipestone, Edgerton, Chandler, Slayton and Marshall. They range in age from teens to 70s. In addition to the singers, Theresa Nysetvold will provide piano accompaniment and Riley Williams will play the drums.
The group started rehearsing this year’s show after Labor Day, once a week for the first couple months and more recently twice a week, usually for a couple hours a night.
Performance times are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4, Friday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 6, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7. Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students. They can be purchased by visiting the PPAC website at www.pipestoneperformingartscenter.com, or by calling the Box Office at 507-825-2020 or 877-722-2787 Tuesday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m.
“It’s a great way to start your Christmas season,” Blaeser said.