Singing Christmas tree returns.
That’s 150 singers, weighing in with their Christmas musical joy
Preview
The Singing Christmas Tree With: Brett Kissel When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.; matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Where: Jubilee Auditorium
Tickets: $39.90 to $76.15 through Ticketmaster, Writing about a show like Edmonton’s Singing Christmas Tree can be a fairly tough assignment, especially when you’re not exactly sure what will be happening during its four-day run.
“Even I can’t get all of the information,” admits Marty Forbes, part of the group responsible for revamping the annual event in 2009, when it was taken out of mothballs by producer John Cameron after a long run at Central Pentecostal Tabernacle. Cameron had been associated with the original production, which shut down in 2005 after the Tabernacle closed. “Everything is put together in secret at different warehouses and schools, so I’m often surprised myself.”
That’s not to say that Forbes is completely unaware of what happens at the show, which now makes its home at the Jubilee Auditorium. There are always musical guests like Juno-Award- winning country singer Brett Kissel, big production numbers involving members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and a backup band, and of course, the aweinspiring Singing Christmas Tree itself, looming over the audience, bedecked by singers and lights.
Dancing Santas, members of Cité Ballet springing off the railings of the auditorium — these familiar elements are always there. But year to year, there are thematic changes to the program, so that audiences can be sure they’re not getting a rerun.
“It’s a huge multimedia show, from the tenderness of something like A Christmas Carol into musicians playing the Frozen theme. Every year we get feedback,” Forbes chuckles. “For some people, it’s too religious; for others, it’s not religious enough. It can be hard to find that balance.”
The performances surrounding the Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree have come a long way from the days when the concert was housed at the more modest Central Pentecostal. The tree is now digitized, so that every song can be programmed with different images, from snowflakes falling to portraits of people. And more than 200 volunteers answered the call to sing in the tree, with 150 selected to participate.
“There’s a huge variety to it,” Forbes says. “I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere in the world.”
Forbes has a stake in the show he volunteers for. His father Jerry started Santas Anonymous back in 1955, and Forbes has also remained with the organization. While he spends part of his time down south these days, he’s still very invested in his home community.
“It’s the same with Brett Kissel, who will be part of the show this year,” Forbes notes. “He thinks of it as his opportunity to help out. He’s part of an ensemble making people feel good about Christmas. Like he said to me, it’s his way to pay it forward.”