Free concert offered in Covington
Dec. 7—COVINGTON, Ind. — Covington United Methodist Church will host a free community Christmas concert at 5 p.m. EST on Sunday at the church, 419 Washington St.
Funding for the concert is provided by grants from The National Endowment for the Arts, Indiana Arts Commission, The Arts Federation and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. There is no admission charge. A free will offering will be received with donations assisting with concert costs and supporting local missions. The concert will be followed by a reception for all attending.
The Burchfield Brothers from Nashville, Tenn., is the featured artist. The duo has performed at Branson, Miss., and they are a part of the annual Smoky Mountain Christmas Show at Pigeon Forge, Tenn. To their laurels are a nomination for a Dove Award for outstanding instrumental CD of the year.
Growing up in the Smoky Mountains with musical parents that ranged from bluegrass to classical, their performance has evolved into a combination of music, story-telling and comedy as each plays off the other in a way that's entertaining and captivating. At age 18, Jon was part of the back up band for Roy Clark. Later the duo was encouraged by the most famous musician in Tennessee, Roy Acuff. Their musical repertoire ranges from Appalachian to Classical, from Jazz to Renaissance as well as Praise, Worship and Gospel.
The Burchfield's instrumentation includes classical guitar, Irish whistles, recorder and the Mallet-Kat, a midi-marimba that provides thousands of options to create a full orchestra sound. Jon and Ben make music that inspires the soul. A special treat is that Ben is also a whistler. Prime timers will love the music while young people will be inspired by the arrangements and intrigued with the instrumentation.
For a sample of their music go to: https://burchfieldbrothers.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Burchfield-Brothers-promo-SONG-CLIPS.mp3. Or to get a sneak peak of the evening's entertainment go to burchfieldbrothers.com or search for them on You Tube to see some of their past performances.
The evening's concert will open with a Handbell Choir. The choir was formed a little more than three years ago by the Covington United Methodist Church and then pastor Mason Shambach. It consists of three octaves of bells as well as tone chimes played by 12 ringers. Gay Talbert, director, was recruited by Shambach and is experienced having worked with the Bell Choir at St. Luke's in Indianapolis and also a handbell choir that she directs during the time she winters in Texas.
