Singers, songwriters and composers Keith and Kristyn Getty (“In Christ Alone”) will start their “Sing! An Irish Christmas” tour December 2, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas. They’ll then make their way to the East Coast, including a night at Carnegie Hall in New York and another three nights at Museum of the Bible in D.C. The Gettys have toured each year with “Sing! An Irish Christmas” for over a decade, Keith Getty told The Stream:
It’s a celebration of the Christian faith with hymns, with lots of Irish fun. The first half is really like a party with music and instrumental music and dance and lots of fun for the whole family where the kids can join in as well. And then the second half is in nine lessons and carols where we go through the Christian Gospel in 60 minutes in the old British Celtic lessons and carols tradition.
Working With Local Choirs
The Gettys, originally from Northern Ireland, join local choirs for their performances in the second half of the show. “We come bring our band and do our show in the first half, but for the lessons and carols, in the sense of the audience being able to sing along, we want to work with local choirs. We want to encourage local choirs in singing in harmony and singing the great hymns and carols of the faith. So we use that. And then even in a few cities, we have a couple of children’s choirs guesting as well.”
The Importance of Singing
Singing is important in families, and Keith hopes to encourage that in addition to singing carols for Christmas. “Singing is important for every family. It’s how we worship the Lord and show our children what is the primary goal of our lives and desires of our hearts and where true glory lies. But it’s also an opportunity for us to help remind each other to learn the great truths of our faith, the songs that you sing when you’re young with your parents never leave you. You may leave them, but they never leave you. And so they’re powerful in helping us remember and learn and digest.”
Singing also affects other aspects of our lives. “It affects how we talk to people and about people. It affects how we think and it affects how we act and how we react. So, for many reasons, singing is important in our homes. It’s also good for us as families as well to do that. Christmas is a great season to get started singing again. It’s a great season to say, ‘You know what? This is what we’re going to do. This is a priority for our family, and this is hugely important.’”
An Extra Party
In addition to the singing and caroling this year, the Gettys and their band members will mingle in the lobbies of the buildings where they sing. “We’re going to have sort of an extra party,” he said. “So, there’s the first half, which is the Irish party, the second half, which is the carol service, and then afterwards we go out into the lobby and have fun and invite everyone to join in and be a part of that.”
Tickets are available at gettymusic.com/tour.
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Nancy Flory, Ph.D., is a senior editor at The Stream. You can follow her @NancyFlory3, and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.