Holiday 2020 – A Summary

February 14, 2021 by Jennifer Graf-Domijan

The Promenade Shops

Hello readers and fans of Olde Towne Carolers!

I know we’re a bit removed from December, but I needed a little extra time to reflect on our 16th season.

There’s no question that 2020 was difficult for everyone. (And 2021 is keeping those challenges going so far!)  The performing arts have been one of the most impacted industries during the pandemic, so we were grateful to be able to perform at all during the 2020 Christmas season.

By the end of last summer, I knew that the holiday season was going to look different, and that we would need to be proactive in our preparations.  (I’ve always been a firm believer that you need to adapt with change in this world in order to survive!)

Our costumer/seamstress (my mother) got to work creating special singing masks for us: ones that were shaped to stay away from your mouth, allowing singers to sing and breathe without sucking in fabric.  Yes, they look a little bit like duck bills, but they do the job!  (Mostly red and black options.)

 

We sat down and thought of some new ideas that could help us succeed, despite having fewer clients and gigs.  We had some great brainstorming sessions and came up with several successful options: Virtual Caroling Christmas Cards, Virtual Online Performances (pre-recorded AND live over platforms like Zoom,) an increased emphasis on our Singing Carol-Grams, and lots of options for outdoor events that maximized social distancing.   For our recorded and virtual options, we had to do some substantial investing: professional lighting, backdrops, microphone, and other equipment.  We also purchased wearable microphone/speaker packs so we could be heard loud and clear, even through the masks.

We finally made our Olde Towne Carolers hoodies available for purchase by the public: CLICK HERE TO ORDER.

(And you get a free Olde Towne Carolers CD with every purchase!)

 

 

 

Our web master, Jennica, (one of my best friends since childhood) updated our website to reflect the new services we were offering.  (Her work is always amazing!)

 

To sum it up, preparations for the 2020 season were A LOT of extra work, but we adjusted and had more bookings than we initially expected!  (Still down significantly from the year before – but not too bad considering the pandemic.)

 

Here are some of the highlights of the 2020 holiday season: 

Some of us recorded vocals for an animated Carol of the Bells parody, that was released by Hero4Hire.

CLICK HERE to see (and hear) the video.

 

We couldn’t make our annual in-studio visit to WFMZ Channel 69 news this year, but we recorded a song for them, AND I did a virtual online interview instead.  CLICK HERE to see and hear the full video of the interview and performance.

Early on in the season, we were in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center for a special media opening of the wintertime attraction “Winter on Broad Street” including a ceremonial lighting, menu tasting, and more.

 

We pre-recorded a special concert that was aired on numerous cable access channels and played to almost a dozen different senior centers.

 

With the snow storm in early December, I decided to make a little music video of my version of “In the Bleak Midwinter.”  I recorded this originally for my first album called “Tidings of Christmas” with Terry Musselman on piano.  The track also appears on the Olde Towne Carolers’ CD, “Sing We Noel.”
You can see the video if you CLICK HERE.

We were thrilled to have some of our regular clients like The Promenade Shops, Christkindlemarkt, and the Quakertown Tree Lighting.  But we completely understood when many regular clients either had to cancel, or couldn’t book for 2020.  (We look forward to performing for everyone once the pandemic is over!)

We had less singers working overall in 2020, but those who did were dedicated and worked their hardest to spread holiday cheer in an otherwise difficult year.  We had performances in ALL our operating areas – the Mid-Atlantic, New England, AND Chicago!

Here are some photos from our 2020 season:

 

 

Thanks for your support during these challenging times.  We can’t wait to sing for you again, and look forward to our 17th season in 2021!

Yours truly,

Jennifer
Olde Towne Carolers

 

 

 

 

 

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