A Nanaimo vocalist and pianist will share stories, memories and songs that evoke the Christmas spirit for a “warm, cozy and convivial” edition of their holiday tradition.
Indie-folk artist Elise Boulanger and accomplished musical playwright Sarah Wood will hold their annual The Night B4 The Night B4 concert, as presented by Harbour City Concerts.
“Each year we try to find lesser known Christmas songs. Because I find that interesting – we all know the regular Christmas repertoires, so we try to bring something new in every year,” Boulanger said. “I will have a variation from The Twelve Days of Christmas that I came up with last year with a friend.”
She said the performance will include a mix of sacred and secular songs, and that Wood plans to play a musical piece from the historical drama series Downton Abbey.
A new facet to this year’s engagement will include a ‘scent palette’ with different fragrances to build the show’s ambience.
“I like when there are so many different elements to a performance… I have a personal philosophy in life that anything can be a piece of art, no matter what it is… I think that scents and smells can really bring an effect to someone and create a nicer space,” Boulanger said, and added that guests can expect at least frankincense, as well as other surprises throughout the concert.
And although Boulanger said the annual holiday show initially started with another musician, this year will be the pianist and vocalist’s third Christmas concert, despite having played together for over a decade.
“[Wood] plays at a lot of seniors’ residences around, and I met her when I went to visit my granny. And so I’d sing, and we just developed this nice relationship. She absolutely loves Christmas … She’s stoked on everything and it’s fun to do it with her for that reason.”
The three-hour concert will be held in two 45-minute sets on Dec. 23 starting at 7:30 p.m. at an intimate venue with a capacity of 40 guests.
Boulanger said it will be her and Wood’s only holiday show this year.
Ticket and venue information can be found online at www.eventbrite.com.
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mandy.moraes@nanaimobulletin.com
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