Join in for the 20th year of the Songs of Good Cheer singalong
Do you have a love story related to the holiday season? If so, you could win two tickets to this year’s Songs of Good Cheer, the annual singalong Eric Zorn and I host at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. More on that contest in a moment. This year marks the 20th year of what we loosely call “Songs,” an event that started after I wrote a column lamenting how hard it was to find places to sing songs of the season during the winter holidays. My Tribune colleague Eric Zorn replied with a dare: Then let’s have a singalong.
In 1999, with a band of great musicians from the Old Town School, we put on our first singing show. It has grown every year since. This year we’re doing six shows over five days, hoping to make space for people who have never been, along with all the people who come year after year.
In these two decades, thousands of people have joined us at the beautiful performance hall of the Old Town School on Lincoln Avenue. Through ticket sales, we’ve raised nearly $650,000 for charity.
People of all kinds come. Young, old. Extended families, groups of friends. A woman who came alone last year reported afterward that she loved ditching her husband and kids and belting out songs with no one to judge her.
A few weeks ago, I received a letter from a woman who also attended last year. Her mother had died a few months earlier. Singing with friends, strangers and the musicians onstage, she wrote, helped her grieve in a way she hadn’t been able to at the time of her mother’s death. “In a time when there is so much disconnection and discord,” she wrote, “it’s good to be reminded of the simple power of a song.” She said she’d already bought tickets for this year.
We hope you’ll join us too. All the information is below.
Winners in the tell-usyour-holiday-love-story contest get two tickets and an invite to read their entry onstage.
Who: Most of the band members are professional musicians who teach at the Old Town School. They play a wide variety of instruments, including guitar, ukulele, accordion, harp, saxophone, trombone and bones. If you’re not sure what bones are, this is your chance to learn. I play the piano and a little mandolin. Eric plays fiddle and makes the audience laugh.
You, the audience, sing. No skill required. The band will make you feel like a virtuoso. We’ll give you a lyrics book to make singing along simple. You get to take it home.
Where: Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. The school is in the heart of Lincoln Square, a lively, friendly neighborhood full of restaurants, cafes, shops and pubs. It’s a great spot for dinner or drinks before or after the show.
Why: Because we all yearn to find meaning and community during the holidays. Because singing calms us down and connects us to each other and to the past.
The songs: In honor of our 20th year, we’re calling this a greatest hits show. We’ll sing songs everybody knows and some we’ve taught the audience over the years.
The contest: Tell us a holiday love story from your own life.
But, you say, what is love? Define it your way. Your story might involve a friend, a child, a spouse, a parent, a pet, even a place. It doesn’t have to be a happy story either. As long as it’s holiday-themed, it’s a contender.
We prefer email entries to ericzorn@gmail.com. You can also snail mail Mary Schmich at 160 N. Stetson Ave., Chicago, IL 60601.
Winners get two free tickets and are invited onstage to read their entry before an adoring crowd.
Deadline is Nov. 28.
When: Wednesday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 15, 3 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 16, 4 p.m. Warning: Tickets go fast.
Kids: Kids are welcome at all shows, which last about 2 1⁄2 hours, with an intermission. Afternoon shows tend to be better for younger kids.
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased in person at the school, by phone (773728-6000) or at ots.fm/sogc2018.
A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit community partners of the Chicago Tribune’s holiday community giving campaign.
Etc.: For updates, photos and history, check out the Songs of Good Cheer Facebook page.
See you there.