Sound of the Rockies took to the Newman Center stage earlier this month to celebrate “The Secret of Christmas” with a good, old-fashioned holiday show of carols, songs, our beloved telling of the Christmas Story and plenty of seasonal cheer.
But it’s not common knowledge that much of the sharing of the true spirit of the holiday actually happened behind the scenes.
For the fifth year, Sound of the Rockies was pleased to give the gift of song to veterans, active service members and their families by donating nearly 100 free tickets to the Vet Tix organization. Vet Tix treats these families to popular community events to help them put aside the stresses of daily life, strengthen family bonds and create positive, lasting memories.
“It’s our honor to be able to thank those who serve, and their families who sacrifice so much, in this way,” said Sound of the Rockies President Mark Palmer. “For the chorus, there’s nothing more heartwarming than seeing the service families enjoying our shows – especially the Christmas show. For many of us, it’s one of the best gifts of the season.”
Sound of the Rockies has a long history of supporting veterans’ organizations and efforts through various performances and appearances throughout the year such as the chorus’ annual Memorial Day performance at the Colorado Freedom Memorial and its 2019 trip to Normandy, France to help commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day. But providing tickets to Vet Tix every year for its three Newman Center events is special in its own way because it allows SOR to focus on families.
And, it is the family-focus that is most appreciated by our ticket recipients. Here are a few of the wonderful comments they shared with us after last week’s shows:
“Thank you for the tickets to The Secret of Christmas,” wrote Mike, who is currently serving in the United States Air Force. “I was able to bring my wife and two boys and the whole family loved the performance! It was a nice relief from our hectic lives and it really put us in the holiday spirit.”
Carol, an Air Force veteran (pictured at the top with her family), wrote: “Thank you for a great family event! We thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Such an incredible performance, beautiful voices! It’s not often that we find an event that is loved by the whole family.”
Finally, one of our favorite notes came a few years ago from Gregory, a United States Army Veteran and single dad:
“Thanks so much for providing my children and me the opportunity to see one of our favorite groups – Sound of the Rockies. I’m a single Dad and my children live full-time with me. Sometimes we need a good break out of the house, and this was it.
It created a much-desired bonding experience for our family. So, I want to share some of the kids’ questions and comments:
‘I liked the cool moves of the singers and how the lights in the theater lifted up before the performance.’ – Ally
‘They make sounds with their mouths that sounds like music.’ – Tyler
‘Daddy, are those people real life?’ – Jadyn.”
Gregory, everyone in the chorus agrees: Your kids are amazing!
Thank you again to our veterans, current service members and families for all that you do…and for giving Sound of the Rockies the gift of coming to our shows. Merry Christmas!