Grammy Award-winning country superstar Trisha Yearwood is performing her “Christmastime with Trisha Yearwood: 12 Days of Christmas Tour” at Springfield Symphony Hall.,The tour, supporting her new album “Christmastime,” features collaborations with local symphonies and includes orchestral arrangements of both holiday classics and Yearwood’s own songs.SPRINGFIELD — Country superstar Trisha Yearwood is bringing her “Christmastime with Trisha Yearwood: 12 Days of Christmas Tour” to Springfield Symphony Hall on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Grammy Award-winning artist, who recently released a new Christmas album titled “Christmastime,” is embarking on a limited-run tour that features local symphonies in each city, including the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.
The tour began in Nashville and will make stops in major cities such as Newark, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Detroit before concluding in Louisville, Kentucky.
The “Christmastime” album, produced by Don Was, includes lush arrangements by David Campbell. Highlights from the album feature an orchestral rendition of “Christmastime Is Here” from “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas,” and a reimagining of “Pure Imagination” from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” The album also includes an original song, “Merry Christmas, Valentine,” co-written by Yearwood and her husband, Garth Brooks.
This marks Yearwood’s first solo holiday album since her 1994 release “The Sweetest Gift,” which was reissued in 2000 and earned Gold certification. In 2016, she released “Christmas Together” with Garth Brooks, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
Yearwood explained that recording a new Christmas album was a long-held desire, with a running list of songs she wanted to cover. She saw an opportunity this year as her husband, Garth Brooks, was not touring extensively, allowing her to focus on a Christmas record and accompanying tour.
Despite recording the album in Los Angeles during the summer, Yearwood described the process as immersive, with the studio crew embracing the Christmas spirit by decorating and adjusting the air conditioning. She noted that recording Christmas music in warmer months is common within the industry.
When asked about her favorite Christmas album, Yearwood mentioned Emmylou Harris’s “Light of the Stable” and highlighted her duet album with Garth Brooks, particularly praising the song “Ugly Christmas Sweater.”
The selection process for “Christmastime” focused on secular songs, stemming from Yearwood’s childhood love for the “A Charlie Brown Christmas” soundtrack and her desire to put a unique spin on well-known holiday tunes. She also included the traditional Shaker song “Simple Guest” as a tribute to her late mother.
Yearwood described recording the album live with an orchestra as both “terrifying and wonderful,” emphasizing the energy and synergy between the musicians and her as a vocalist.
Regarding the tour, Yearwood aims for an intimate experience, performing in smaller venues to foster a Christmas spirit. The shows will consist of a traditional symphony format with a first and second half, including some of Yearwood’s well-known songs arranged for orchestra.
Yearwood noted that her personal Christmas celebrations are typically casual, with Thanksgiving being a larger family gathering. The music industry’s slowdown in December allows her family time to decorate their tree together. She acknowledged that touring during the holidays will require a new approach to celebrating Christmas.
Tickets for the Springfield Symphony Hall performance are available at symphonyhallspringfield.com, with prices ranging from $71.29 to $103.46.
Leave a Reply