The format calls for eight consecutive hours of live music, with audience members invited to come and go as they please. Starting at noon on January 13, dozens of local musicians will gather at Albuquerque's St. John's United Methodist Church to raise money for Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless. Classical musicians, jazz ensembles, singer-songwriters, choirs, and solo performers will take part in the Midwinter Music Marathon.
"A big event like this lends itself to being thought of as a festival," says Matthew Greer, Director of Music and Worship at St. John's and organizer of the event. "We have scheduled musicians into sets, some 20 minutes, some 30, some 40. People can purchase tickets and come in and out, and hear the acts they want to hear."