The music of Christmas past collided with the reality of Christmas present on Monday night in the North Lake Presbyterian Church
The sound of Christmas was in the air but the specter of cancer was also present. Bill Davis, director of the Villages Pops Chorus, was diagnosed earlier this year.
The faith, dedication and love of music and family he shares with his wife, Sue, was on full display in the Pops Chorus Christmas Concert. Cancer may attack the body but Davis and his 150-member Chorus showed that the spirit and joy of the season can surmount any disease.
After a decade of unprecedented financial and artistic success leading the Chorus, Bill and Sue Davis are leaving The Villages this month. They will move to Charlotte N.C. to be closer to their children and grand-children.
Their legacy goes far beyond music. Bill and Sue Davis and the Chorus have raised over $300,000 for local charities through concerts. Monday’s two concerts drew over 1,500 people and the two shows sold out in six days.
Davis was happy with those numbers, but deeply moved with his farewell performance.
“It’s a very emotional night,” he said before the concert. “I’m feeling everything tonight. It’s hard to leave, but I’m recognizing that it’s a new beginning.”
There were some tears during the 90-minute concert. Davis seemed to wipe a tear away after the Chorus performed one of his favorite songs, the Carpenters’ “Merry Christmas Darling.”
“I would say that of all the songs we do tonight, that one is special,” he said.
Davis was also visibly moved after performing two songs with the Pops Chorus Folk Quartet. Sue Davis introduced them as “folkies,” saying “for the last time, here is the Pops Chorus Folk Quartet.”
Bill, along with Jack Strite, Woody High and Bill McGaughey offered a tender “Mary’s Little Boy Child.” Then they led the packed crowd in spiritual sing-a-long on “Silent Night.”
“Thank you Jack, Woody and Bill for so many happy memories,” Davis told his fellow folk singers.
Jo Ann Hanebrink, leads the Pops Chorus Band, and has been with Davis since the beginning. She showed her keyboard mastery on “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
Solo performances added to the holiday spirit. Classy Jan Lavin had some fun with “The Man With the Bag.” Harmonica maestro Phil Caltabellotta was in vintage form on “The Christmas Song.”
Bonnie Williams displayed joy in “Christmas Eve In My Home Town.” Sue Schuler and Paul Carmignani cooed to each other on a flirty “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” And George Wood took the audience on a trip to “Winter Wonderland.”
This night, however, wasn’t just about music. Bill and Sue Davis performed with the Chorus for the first time in the Villages in front of their children and grandchildren.
“It’s so special and we’re so excited to be here tonight,” said his son Eric. “It’s the first time we’ve seen him with the Chorus that has meant so much to him.”
His son knows what the Villages and the Chorus means to his father. “He loves it here and he loves the Chorus. To be able to see him with the Chorus is a nice way to wrap up the holidays.”
Eric and his wife Angela brought their two young children: Nina and Jasper, who enjoyed watching Grandpa and Grandma perform.
“We’ve heard so much about the Chorus and to be here makes it real,” said Davis’ daughter Karen Weeks. She came with her husband Braden.
“My parents have loved the Villages ever since they came here,” Karen said. They also found a way to help others by raising over $300,000 for charity.
“They came here for a new life and they found unexpected purpose in helping so many people,” Eric said.
Bill Davis was surprised at all the fund-raising success. “We never planned it; it just happened. We thought we could get about 30 people in the Chorus and put on a few shows.
“It got so much bigger than that. And the best part is that we found a way to reach and help so many families and children.”
Music, however, has been the center of Bill Davis’ life in the Villages, since he came here in 2012. He played in the rock band, 3 for the Road. He was also active with the Villages Musical Theater.
The Pops Chorus made the holiday music come alive under Davis’ direction. They brought a serene calm to “The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth.” The singers made “White Christmas,” feel warm and cozy all over again.
They closed the concert with a stirring “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” and the audience stood and clapped and cheered with approval.
After the song ended, Bill and Sue Davis came center stage and through some tears and smiles, waved goodbye to a Chorus audience for a final time.
“Bill and I will always have special memories of our time with you,” Sue Davis told the crowd. She and her husband embraced at center stage.
“We knew how much they were loved,” Karen Weeks said. “But to see it in person is just so special.” She paused for a moment, and then added: “especially at Christmas.”
Tony Violanti writes about music and entertainment for Villages-News.com. He was inducted into The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame as a music journalist.
