2009 Vixen Sequences (in version 2.1 format. To download, RIGHT-click on a link and choose SAVE-AS...) These have been disconnected from a profile; all have 112 channels.

Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light - J.S. Bach
Carol of the Bells - Mannheim Steamroller
Christians Be Joyful - J.S. Bach
Deck the Halls - John Nilson
For Unto Us a Child is Born - G.F. Handel (from Messiah)
Fum-Fum-Fum - Signature
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Mannheim Steamroller
Hark The Herald Angels Sing - Mannheim Steamroller
Here We Come A-Caroling - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
I Saw Three Ships - Dale Warland Singers
Jesus is Born - Steve Green
Jingle Bells - Jimmy Dean
Jolly Old St. Nicholas - unknown
Joy to the World - Jim Nabors
Let It Snow - Andy Williams
Little Drummer Boy - Mannheim Steamroller
Lutefisk Rock-N-Roll - Bill Birch
Now Is Born the Divine Christ Child - Dale Warland Singers
Sleigh Ride - Andy Williams
Up On The Housetop - unknown
Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy - Signature
Wizards in Winter - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Here's the Profile for all the above sequences: Renard113.pro

2009 Videos (links to our videos on www.vimeo.com)

• Here We Come A-Caroling - I try to use very tight coordination of lights to musical events in sequencing my shows, and this is a good example of how effective that can be. I apologize that the camera went slightly in/out of focus slightly during this selection, but you'll still get a good feeling for what I try to do. Music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

• Fum-Fum-Fum - sometimes simple is better. This is one of my favorites, not because it's large and grandiose but rather that the lighting treatment tries to match the texture of the music. Signature is a small, local a capella gospel group that recorded the music, and I like that this starts with the traditional Fum-Fum-Fum and modulates into Carol of the Bells.

• The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy - another recording by Signature, and I chose this because it's a nifty toe-tapper with instrument emulation by the singers. Again, the lighting is simple because the music is simple.

• Up on the Housetop - a fun song about Santa Clause is always appropriate, and the lighting on this selection was intended to be just as simple and playful as the song.

• For Unto Us a Child Is Born - it's not easy to simulate an orchestra and choir in lights, but this is at least a gallant attempt! Try to imagine an orchestra on a stage with the choir on risers up and behind them: sopranos lower left, altos lower right, tenors upper right and basses upper left. The piece includes extended vocal melismas, which are quickly-animated notes that are quite challenging for singers to do well. They're usually mimicked by the strings in the orchestra, so you'll see lots of quick flashing lights in this one.

• Wizards in Winter - in 2004, Carson Williams took home Christmas lighting to the extreme by animating his Ohio home to this music. I think it's an unwritten law that every home enthusiast must include an homage to Carson for really kicking this hobby into high-gear, and this is mine. Music is of course performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

• Hark the Herald Angels - This was a fun song to animate, performed by Mannheim Steamroller. Lots of great musical events to highlight.

• Hark The Herald Angels - Demo LED Sequencing Board - this shows what the raw sequencing looks like on my test board. It can require several hours' time to design the sequencing for a musical selection and it's not practical to leave your lights out all year, so I built this little LED-covered board to simulate locations and colors of lights on my house. I plug this into one of my controllers and can test a sequence for timing indoors by my computer station and get an accurate idea of what it will look like when it's actually playing in real life. This demo is exactly the sequence that was used in the final production of Hark listed above.

Music Samples (in MP3 format. To download, RIGHT-click on a link and choose SAVE-AS...)

• Break Forth O'Beauteous Heavenly Light - J.S. Bach chorale - This a capella chorale is from Bach's Christmas Oratorio. My annual show always starts with this piece. It's sung by my church's senior (adult) choir, and I recorded it during the 11:00 service Advent service on December 1, 2002. If you're interested in my church, go to: www.mtolivet.org and look around. It's one of the "great" churches in the world, with almost 14,000 members and a lot of activity for all ages. I'm privileged to have a seat in the choir's bass section.

• For Unto Us a Child Is born - G.F. Handel - you'd have to look far and wide for a bigger statement of the joy and majesty of our Savior's birth than Handel's Messiah. This is music that isn't limited only to the Christmas season though; it's timeless. Performed by the choir I sing in -- Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church.

• Lutefisk Rock - Bill Birch - Bill is a close friend that I sing with in my church choir. Bill's an excellent bass and a few years ago, he recorded this with his family. It's fun and if you've never experienced the "joy" of eating lutefisk, then you've missed out on one of the staples of traditional Norwegian-Lutheran culinary fare. But if you HAVE tasted the stuff, you'll get a good chuckle when you listen to this. Thanks for giving us this recording, Bill!

• Lament - Dido & Aeneas - Henry Purcell - this is just an example of my favorite genre of music. Dido & Aeneas was one of the earliest "operas" composed, way back in the 1600's. Purcell was a composer of the Baroque era, and this music is incredibly exposed and naked. The voices are pure, orchestration is thin and simple sounding yet extremely complex and challenging to compose. This selection is a soliloquy from Act III, often called "Dido's Lament." I hope you'll find it as beautiful as I do.

• 2009 Itunes Free Album - Advertised as a free download, here it is in zip format -- all 20 songs. 140mb in size, so be patient...

Voiceovers (also in MP3 format)

• 2009 - Miscellaneous announcements during the show

  • Announcement 1

  • Announcement 2

  • Announcement 3

  • Announcement 4

• 2009 - Final end-of-year signoff - this is my final message of the final show. I chose the King's Singers' song "New Day'  because that's what our Lord's birth has given us -- every day is a new day!

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