Performers raise funds for Noah's Ark, Butterfield youth

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December 19, 2008

By NATALIA JONES The Daily Register Fri Dec 19, 2008, 10:09 AM CST

Butterfield Stage was brimming with holiday cheer during Songs of the Season, Thursday night.

Over $1,000 was raised during the concert which benefited both Noah’s Ark and the Butterfield Youth Players.

The night’s entertainment consisted of holiday songs old and new by Andrea Offner, Bob Jones and their special friends, the North Texas Youth Chorale and Heather Wright, chorale assistant director.

“I just want to thank everyone for joining us on this dark, foggy, cold and nasty evening,” said Offner.

Offner, who is a music therapist and owner of the Birdsong Center, shared her musical background with the audience.

“Even though I studied opera, I didn’t want to create music that would put up walls between people and music that was elitist,” said Offner.

A writer and musician, Offner said she took 10 years off to create babies, but has now began to write again.

Although she may have traded music for motherhood, it was clear that her love of music has carried over to her two children, Michael and Claudia Offner.

Both of the littlest Offners sang in the North Texas Youth Chorale along with Savannah Myers, Kassidi Bynum, Lexie Broyles, Ryan Ramirez, Samuel Leach and Carissa Salsman.

Unlike how she was trained at Southern Methodist University, Andrea Offner said she tries to teach the children to connect with their audience during performances.

“I want them to experience several different performance venues, unlike how I was taught at SMU to stand at one venue with a black folder in my hands,” said Andrea Offner. “Don’t get me wrong, that comes in handy sometimes, but I want to teach them to go out and take their audience members’ hands. If you cannot bring music to people who need music the most, you’re wasting your time. It is said that art isn’t as important as life, but what a poor life without it.”

Traditional songs performed during the evening included Silver Bells, Deck the Halls, What Child is This?, Rudolph and more.

Andrea Offner and the North Texas Youth Chorale passed out bells to audience members for a unique performance of Jingle Bells including original lyrics added by the performers.

“If you thought you were going to attend an event with Bob and I and not participate, you’re wrong,” said Andrea Offner.

Jones, who is a trained classical guitarist, also performed a special rendition of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Ave Maria with Andrea Offner on vocals.

The song was adopted by Bach as a finger exercise on piano for his children, explained Andrea Offner. Together Jones and Andrea Offner are working together to transpose the song for guitar. A tedious task, Andrea Offner said although they had not finished it entirely in time for the show, they will be finished sometime in the spring.

Special duets for the evening included Ryan Ramirez, on vocals, and Jones, on guitar, for We Three Kings. Michael Offner also performed with Jones during Away in a Manger and Claudia and Andrea Offner performed a special mother-daughter performance of It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.

Andrea Offner also performed Angel on My Shoulder, the last song she wrote before her daughter was born.

During intermission, audience members enjoyed cookies and hot cider while they purchased raffle tickets for a month of free guitar lessons with Jones, Andrea Offner’s CD Separate Paths, a one hour massage at the Birdsong Center, a beautifully bound book of “The Night Before Christmas” and season passes to Butterfield Stage.

Before the night came to an end, Andrea Offner reminded everyone to have a Merry Christmas and to focus on what the holiday is truly about: love.

“We get hung up on the holidays and carried away with trying to please everyone,” said Offner. “But you know what, good enough works too, because good enough comes from a place of love.”

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