Songs of Good Cheer a ticket to charitable causes — and fun
This is your official invitation to the 21st annual Songs of Good Cheer.
Songs, as we call it for short, is a holiday singalong at the Old Town School of Folk Music. My Tribune colleague Eric Zorn and I host, accompanied by a band of great musicians.
We started with a single show two decades ago, not sure how big the appetite was for this wacky idea. A room full of people belting out “Joy to the World” and “Winter Wonderland”? Would anyone want to do that?
So many people wanted to do it that we kept adding shows. Now we put on six.
Through the years, one of the thrills for us has been meeting and hearing from people who come.
“I’m Jewish and don’t really celebrate Christmas,” one man wrote after attending last year’s show. “I’m so tired of Christmas spectaculars, each trying to outdo the other. This is just fun.”
It is just fun — and for charitable causes — but it’s fun with an understanding that the holidays are rarely unalloyed joy.
“I cried,” one man wrote us after last year’s show. “My mother died five years ago, my dad five months ago. He was 93. The last of my parents’ generation in a small Midwest town. We had to empty the house and say goodbye to our parents’ life and the town of Findlay. Every year the family went to Christmas Eve 11 p.m. service, which was mostly Christmas carols. I’ll never have that experience again but your show was close to it. I now understand more vividly the value of tradition and how I have to keep the tradition going with our kids and their families.”
Fun. Tears. Tradition. And for one woman who attended last year, added excitement.
“On my way to the subway that morning,” she emailed afterward, “I tripped and fell on an uneven sidewalk and landed face down on the pavement with a bloody mouth and a lot of pain. I took my first ambulance ride to a hospital I didn’t know existed and learned I had two broken teeth and a lacerated lip, as well as minor cuts on my hands.
“As soon as I got to the ER, I told the doc I had tickets to a concert and it was the last show, so I couldn’t reschedule. Would I still be able to go? So after 3 hours in the ER, a CT scan, and instructions to call my dentist the next day, I went to Songs of Good Cheer with a major toothache, a bloody lip, and an inability to smile. I may not have sung all the songs, but it was great to listen to everyone and watch the band. Songs of Good Cheer gave me something to look forward to and truly brightened an otherwise awful day.”
In short, Songs is a good time. We hope you’ll join us. All the information is below.
Who: Most of the band members are professional musicians who teach at the Old Town School. They play a wide variety of styles on a variety of instruments that include guitar, harp, ukulele, saxophone, trombone and washboard.
This year’s band consists of Paul Tyler, Gail Tyler, Barbara Silverman, Steve Rosen, Zacbe Pichardo, Lanialoha Lee, Anna Jacobson, Roy McGrath, Rashida Phillips, Aaron Smith and Fred Campeau.
I play the piano and a little mandolin. Eric plays fiddle and makes jokes.
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., Chicago. The school is in Lincoln Square, a vibrant neighborhood full of restaurants, cafes, shops and pubs. It’s a great spot for dinner or drinks before or after the show.
Why: Because in the hubbub of the holidays most of us are looking for a little peace and connection away from the commercial fray.
The songs: We sing many of the songs you know and love, along with some great new ones that we guarantee you’ll go home humming.
When: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 15, 4 p.m.
Warning: Tickets for most shows go fast.
Kids: Kids are welcome at all shows, which last about two hours, with an intermission. Afternoon shows tend to be better for younger kids.
Tickets: $50 general public, $48 Old Town School members.
Tickets can be bought in person at the school, by phone (773-728-6000) or online at http://ots.fm/sogc2019.
Funds will go to benefit community partners of the Chicago Tribune’s holiday community giving campaign. We’ve raised $680,000 so far.
Etc.: For updates, photos and history, check out the Songs of Good Cheer Facebook page. Come sing with us.