AMO to perform at annual concert
As is the case every December, Valley Church will be swinging with the festive sounds of Alive Music Orchestra, as the collective performs its 31st annual AMO Christmas show Dec. 9 titled “Child is Born.”
Alive Music Orchestra will perform a mix of traditional Christmas carols and popular holiday songs made famous by the likes of Nat “King” Cole, Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley.
The Vacaville-based orchestra was founded in the '80s by Keith Stout, who wanted to start a local band in the vein of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. The 20-plus member group performs everything from World War II-era hits to the brass era of crooners such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin to more recent pop and rock hits. The band is led by Frank Salamone, also pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Dixon, and his daughter, Leah Walker.
Stout is a self-described “Air Force brat” whose father and father-in-law served in Vietnam and uncle and grandfather served in World War II and Korea. The annual Christmas concert has always taken inspiration from Bob Hope's USO shows, which provided entertainment to American troops overseas, including during Christmastime.
“We always include a special dedication to our troops and their families, praying for a safe return home,” Stout said in a statement. “That's something our family feels strongly about, especially during Christmas and the holiday season.”
In addition to Salamone and Walker, the concert will feature the talents of Ken Stout, Keith's twin brother and AMO's new bandleader, as well as vocal performances by other members of the Stout family, including Terrie, Brette, Julie and Art.
The event is a co-production with the Vaca Jazz Society, and there will be an opportunity to donate at the end with proceeds going toward the organization's Youth Music Camps directed by Staff Master Sgt. Mike Williams, a former member of Travis Air Force Base's Band of the Golden West. The Society also hosts the annual Vacaville Jazz Festival in Nut Tree Plaza.
“VJS is passionate that the gift of music enriches our child's life keeping them out of harms (sic) way,” according to an AMO news release.
The Christmas concert is 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at Valley Church, 5063 Maple Road. Admission is free. For more information, go to Vacajazzsociety.org/?page_id=5832.