Osborn energized by hectic holiday pace

For four consecutive days, Dec. 17-20, Susan Osborn will play the role of the Ghost of Christmas Present in the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol.” Then, without missing a single day’s rest, she will present her annual Christmas concerts Dec. 21-24 at the Victorian Valley Chapel.

Some might find Osborn’s schedule utterly stressful and exhausting, particularly since she and her accompanists have been rehearsing for the concerts since September, while preparations for “A Christmas Carol” have been going on for more than a month. And while many of these rehearsals were taking place, Osborn was playing the lead role of Sister Mary Regina in the Orcas Center community theater production of “Nuncrackers,” which was performed seven times last month.

But Osborn, a professional musician with an international reputation, is extremely excited about her upcoming flurry of activity, and she feels honored to be a part of both the play and the concert. “I’m really energized by this,” she says, explaining that she is learning so much from all of those around her.

Regarding her role in “A Christmas Carol,” a benefit show for The Funhouse, Osborn gushes, “I’m learning so much from (Director Deborah) Sparks and all the others in the cast. I love the role. I love the script, I love the music, I love working with Sparks and I love Jim Bredouw’s beautiful music.” But most of all, she enjoys helping The Funhouse because, she says, “He (Bredouw) has given so much to this community.”

An entirely different motivation prompted the Victorian Valley Chapel concerts, now in their 15th year. It was entirely personal, namely, to make beautiful Christmas music.

Osborn grew up in Minnesota, and was living in Connecticut back in 1986 when the Outlook Inn invited her to come to Orcas to teach a class. Like so many before her, she “took one foot on the island and said ‘This is it!’”

Soon thereafter, she and husband David Densmore found a home in Victorian Valley, where they got to look out on the chapel that was modeled on similar-type buildings in Minnesota and Connecticut. It was built by Lucy Banks in the 1960s.

It wasn’t long before Osborn became overcome with a passionate need to present a Christmas concert in that chapel. Her mother had just died, and since church music was such an important part of her life, Osborn felt there was no better way to deal with her pain. It was 1988 when she presented a single concert, to an audience of about 50 in a chapel that can hold a hundred people.

In many respects, the idea was crazy, says Donna Laslo, who for many years headed up efforts to promote Osborn’s concerts. “It was so hard to get to. Some people got lost and never made it. There was no electricity, and the benches were cold,” she says.

But the site eventually became one of the concert’s biggest draws. “We were under the stars,” Donna Laslo explains. “It was real meditative, and you could hear the owls hooting nearby.”

Osborn describes the Victorian Valley Chapel as being like “Brigadoon,” the mythical and enchanting Scottish town that became a Broadway musical. “It’s all lit up with candles,” she says.

With each passing year, word about the concert spread, with more and more people wanting to attend. It became a highlight for people who traveled thousands of miles to visit Orcas for the holidays, Laslo says. Osborn responded by increasing the number of concerts to meet the demand. This year there will be five, including two on Christmas Eve.

The expanded schedule required more people to help spread the word about the concerts, put up signs, and adorn the chapel with fresh greenery that had been hand-picked the say before.

Much of Osborn’s professional career has taken place in Japan, where she continues to perform, record, and teach music. Osborn visits Japan at least twice a year. Back when she was younger, Osborn would leave for Japan shortly after Christmas. Now, however, she’ll wait until May. In the meantime, Osborn will spend the next few months “reading and enjoying the quiet here,” she says.

GET YOUR TICKETS

The Christmas concerts will be presented Dec. 21 - 23 at 7:30 p.m., with two more on Christmas Eve, at 7:30 and 10 p.m. All will be presented at the Victorian Valley Chapel.

Tickets, for $15, are available at Poppies.

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