The In From the Cold concert is set to return for its 24th year, with two performances scheduled on December 8 and 9 at 8 pm. Downtown’s Market Hall will host the event, featuring a variety of Christmas and seasonal songs not commonly heard at other holiday concerts.
Established in 2000, by a group of experienced Peterborough roots and folk musicians, In From the Cold aims to showcase seasonal music in a distinctive manner, incorporating acoustic instruments such as guitar, Celtic harp, fiddle, concertina, and mandolin, along with rich three and four-part vocal harmony.
Co-founder John Hoffman, a member of the folk stringboard Carried Away, expressed the initial vision, stating, “We perform our music on acoustic instruments with lots of vocal harmony. We specialize in finding great seasonal songs and carols that are beautiful but seldom performed at Christmas shows in Canada.”
This year’s repertoire will feature the beloved Swedish carol “Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul,” Canadian songwriter Roy Forbes’ “Ring the Bells at Midnight,” and “Wintertime,” a musical rendition of a Robert Louis Stevenson poem by Carried Away’s Susan Newman.
The diverse cast includes Curtis Driedger, guitarist Michael Ketemer, harpist Tanah Haney, and the Convivio Chorus. Curtis Driedger will revive the Enriqué “Roy” Claveer character and the “Claveer Cousins.” The Convivio Chorus, a 28-voice choir, originated from a small chorus formed for the 4th Line Theatre production of “The Devil and Joseph Scriven” in 1999.
As part of the concert’s longstanding tradition, all proceeds from In From the Cold 2023 will be donated to Peterborough’s YES Shelter for Youth and Families. Brooke Erickson, Fundraising and Communications Manager at YES, emphasized the significance of In From the Cold in addressing youth and family homelessness, stating, “The In From the Cold is an extremely important part of the history of the YES Shelter, and it continues to be a beautiful and very helpful way for the community to connect with the serious issue of youth and family homelessness in Peterborough.”
Tickets can be purchased at the Market Hall box office.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
