A happy throng overflowed the gallery of the Hays Public Library on Sunday afternoon for the annual Christmas concert of the Werth Family Trio, one of the main musical events of the Hays season.

Mother Kay, woodwinds and piano; sons Preston, cello; and Austin, violin, were in fine fettle as were their friends Kathy Amrein, Elise Peterson, Amy Staab and Susan Bowles. Father Dick, stationed at the back, did a virtuoso turn with the camera.

The trio got the concert off to a cheerful start with an arrangement of "Joy to the World/Deck the Halls" by Eric Stein that gave everyone a turn to lead the melody and show off their instrument (Kay played oboe for this). The following piece, a movement of the "Kindertrio" (children's trio) by Julius Klengel, which Kay said, "was written for his children," sounded a bit like Haydn or Mozart even though it was written at least a century later (Kay played piano here). Accompanied by the trio with Kay at the piano, Amrein sang Richard Carpenter's wistful ballad "Merry Christmas, Darling" convincingly.

After performing several more Christmas carols and the Shaker tune "Simple Gifts," which, Kay mentioned, "was the first song Eric Stein arranged for the trio," they concluded the first part with "Winter Wonderland, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and It's the most Wonderful Time of the Year" arranged by Jay Althouse. Peterson, Amrein, Preston and Austin sang this in harmony, while Kay accompanied them on the piano.

Kay's arrangement of "We Three Kings" began the second part of the concert as a production number (she played bassoon). The three kings, Amrein, Staab and Bowles, pretending they were riding camels (made of sock puppets undulating over their extended right hands), lurched down the aisle. While the trio accompanied, they exchanged a few witticisms like, "I'd walk a mile for a camel" and "they say the baby was born in Munjor."

Another high point was the world premiere of "Eventide" by Richard Faith, dedicated to "the Toulon Trio." (Faith, composer of last year's FHSU opera "The little Match Girl," was in residence at FHSU last year.) The music, reminiscent of French Impressionism, inspired Preston, who coaxed some beautiful dark, mellow tones from his cello. Not to be outdone, Peterson and Amrein snapped their fingers and sang "Go Tell it on the Mountain" in a fine, syncopated arrangement by Lloyd Larson.

The concert ended with a lively sing-along and standing applause for the Werth Family Trio and their friends.

Ruth Firestone is a supporter of music and theater in Hays.