St. Mary sings to the holidays

Michelle Giglio brought the spirit of the Christmas season Dec. 1 to St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church.

The opera singer’s voice wafted through the walls of the church’s fellowship hall during the annual Christmas Concert. Giglio, along with Lee Dougherty Ross, artistic director of Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, performed an hour-long concert for church members.

Giglio performed classics such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “The Christmas Song” while the crowd sang along. During “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” the crowd was split into groups and each was assigned one of the 12 days to sing along to. 

Following the concert, those in attendance enjoyed a cocktail reception complete with cookies made by “Cookie Lady” Maryann Mazzaferro.