Celebrate the Christmas spirit with a young singer who honors the season through a program titled "Incarnate Light."
Music teacher and vocalist Haley Patillo has been busy sharing that Christmas cheer and will soon bring her repertoire to three local churches.
Patillo has three "Incarnate Light: The Music of Christmas" concerts coming up: 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21, at Chapelwood United Methodist Church; 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 23, at St. Luke's United Methodist Church; and a 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service with music at First Presbyterian Church.
"I have this program, about 12 songs. Some of them are old to me and some of them are newer. I gathered them all up and I've been working out this program, and then I started booking places to give the program," Patillo said. She'll sing in English, but there's also a French version of "O Holy Night" and German lyrics for "Silent Night." Then there's "Panis Angelicus" in Latin.
There's not particularly a connecting thread, but they're songs she likes and has nice arrangements for, so she arranged them as a Christmas theme. One of them, "Of the Father's Love Begotten," is based on a Gregorian chant. Included in here also is a Christmas song written by her father. It's called "The First Christmas Tree." She's excited to share that one, the only Christmas song he's penned.
It's an eclectic mix, and she'll play handbells during the program, too.
"They're a favorite with children," Patillo said. At venues where a piano is available, she'll play it.
About her affection for Christmas music, she said, "I think that Christmas music, because it can carry text inside of it, is one of the things that helps us to get into the season of Christmas, into the spirit, because we remember what we're celebrating." That's what she enjoys about the music.
"And also music can carry the emotion with it as well as the meaning," Patillo said. She can't prepare for Christmas unless the music is around.
Performing live is special, as she describes it. She says it's easier to sing for a live audience, after all, compared to singing at a recording studio for a CD (she's released a couple of them). She feeds off the connection with a live audience.
"Whereas if you're singing in the studio, it's like you're talking to yourself," said Patillo, whose father is David Patillo, a professional songwriter.
"I guess his greatest claim to fame is that the country star LeAnn Rimes recorded two of his songs that he wrote," Patillo said of her dad. She herself doesn't quite have the voice for much country music, but she does sing some of his songs successfully, she said.
"I'm grateful for the ones I can," Patillo said. She's recorded his songs, gospel, Christian hymns, classical and music like that. She enjoys hymns a whole lot, even if there aren't many arranged for solo singers. With her dad as a songwriter, music was all around during her youth.
"Music was something that I grew up with being on his tours," Patillo said of her unique upbringing. She grew up being comfortable on stage, and she also took piano and voice lessons. Because she was home-schooled, she took Texarkana College coursework early.
Patillo now teaches adjunct music courses at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana. She achieved her degrees at Henderson State University and Stephen F. Austin University.
Patillo hopes to add more "Incarnate Light" dates, perhaps at a retirement center. She recently performed at Cornerstone Healthy Living Community. She likes the relaxed, casual nature of this type of venue.
"In a sense, it's really about giving when you go to a place where people can't come to you," Patillo said, adding, "You get a lot of energy back from that type of audience."
(More info: Check out Haley Patillo Music on Facebook.)