“Sounds of the Season,” Iberia Cultural Resources Association’s annual Christmas concert, will be held at 3 p.m. today at St. Peter’s Catholic Church.  

ICRA Director Cathy Indest says the 10-year anniversary will honor past members of the ICRA, along with provide quality music to local residents for free. 

What can event-goers expect at this year’s “Sounds of the Season?”

Event-goers can expect a superb Christmas concert with music ranging from “Frost the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” to “Waltz of the Flowers” from “The Nutcracker.”

We are especially delighted to present the rich, amazing voice of Sasha Massey, soprano, who will do some selections from “The Messiah” and the three spirituals “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Amazing Grace” and “Ride On, King Jesus.”

If there are homebound or handicapped individuals who cannot attend the concert, tune in to KANE AM-1240 at 3 p.m. and you will be able to listen to the beautiful Christmas musical selections. Santa Claus will also be at the concert. 

Who will the Iberia Cultural Resources Association be honoring this year?

At the 10th anniversary celebration of “Sounds of the Season,” we will be honoring three special ladies who were former board members of the Iberia Cultural Resources Association: Dianne Landry, Claire Mire and Aline Porter. 

As one of our present board members, Bryan Gautreaux described them, “Our honorees had a keen awareness of the significance of our culture and history. Each had a unique perspective for preserving our treasures.”

Mrs. Dianne Landry recognized colorful facts and personalities of many interesting individuals from New Iberia. Because of her work and relentless efforts, our community has a library of audio recordings of people who experienced much and influenced our lives. 

Mrs. Aline Porter utilized her knowledge of accounting and meticulous maintaining our association’s financial records for many years. She was also an avid and skilled photographer of downtown New Iberia and significant events in our history, and amazingly was a 50 year member of the area Camera Club. 

Miss Claire Mire was also very skilled at maintaining our association’s meeting records and was an important part of the Iberia Cultural Resources Association’s founding members. Her efforts at writing beautiful stories about our community and making sure that our history was kept alive and was very noteworthy and will not be forgotten. 

What other events does the Iberia Cultural Resources Association organize?

Iberia Cultural Resources Association organizes three other symphony concerts every year: A Prelude to Spring, Symphony Sunday in the Park and Stars and Stripes. 

In addition to the four symphony concerts, ICRA along with the Bayou Teche Museum and Shadows-on-the-Teche have formed the Iberia Preservation Alliance and the “New Iberia Beneath the Balconies” and “Books Along the Teche Literary Festival” events every year. 

How can someone become a Symphony Patron?

If you would like to become a Symphony Patron, this is a form you can download on www.iberiacultural.com or you can come to “Sounds of the Season” on Dec. 1 at 3 p.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church and fill out the forms contained in the program. 

We are having a wonderful Patrons Party at Doc Voorhies’ house following the “Sounds of the Season” concert and you can come to the party even if you have not filled in the form yet or have filled in the form, but have not RSVP’d before the concert. Delicious food and drinks will be served and all will be able to start off the holiday season.