Add Event My Events Log In

Upcoming Events

    We see you appreciate a good vintage. But there comes a time to try something new. Click here to head over to the redesigned Louisville.com. It's where you'll find all of our latest work. And plenty of the good ol' stuff, too, looking better than ever.

    Music

    Print this page

    Thanksgiving is a special day, and many consider the four-day weekend to mark the official beginning of the holidays. On Saturday night November 27, at 8:00 P.M. at Whitney Hall, the Louisville Orchestra will help kick off the Christmas season with its annual King Southern Bank Holiday Spectacular as they perform with Michael W. Smith as part of Smith’s It’s a Wonderful Christmas tour.

    We all have our Thanksgiving memories and traditions. Some recall Louisville native William Conrad (aka Cannon and the Fat Man and Manimal narrator) sitting by a fire regaling us with stories and songs between parade coverage on CBS thirty years ago. Others recall the awkward end to NBC broadcasts of the Macy’s Parade when Willard Scott would always try to kiss Katie Couric on the mouth just after Santa started his way down 34th Street. Good times.

    For others, it means watching the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys host football games. Maybe you pour over the newspaper ads for the shopping madness that ensues the following day. But most likely, your memories and plans revolve around family and friends. And it becomes culturally acceptable to officially start listening to Christmas music and not be looked at strangely or told you are too early.

    This year getting into the spirit with Christmas music will be a little easier as popular Christian artist Michael W. Smith joins the Louisville Orchestra for an evening of traditional carols and some of Smith’s original holiday songs culled from his three Christmas albums.

    Although Smith is one of Christian music’s most acclaimed singers and songwriters – earning 40 Dove Awards, nearly 30 Number 1 singles, and over a dozen Platinum and Gold records - he also has enjoyed crossover success and placed highly on the U.S. Pop and Adult Contemporary charts over the past two decades. In total, the talented West Virginia native has sold well over 10 million albums.

    Smith is also no stranger to Louisville, his live Worship Again CD, released in 2002, was recorded in concert at Southeast Christian Church here in town. The Grammy-winner also released a new non-Christmas album this summer entitled Wonder, but this tour is a Christmas tour, so longtime fans expecting to hear new songs off Wonder should take note.

    So if Thursday leaves you stuffed from overindulgence and Black Friday finds you worn out, spent, and jittery, Saturday’s concert just may be the perfect elixir to unwind and get into the Christmas spirit with the whole family except maybe for that one aunt who gives you fruitcake every year – you may want to leave her at home.

    Tickets for the two-hour show that includes an intermission range from $30.00-$75.00. For ticket information, visit the Kentucky Center for the Arts’ website.

    Kevin Sedelmeier's picture

    About Kevin Sedelmeier

    I am polite, and I'm rarely late. I like to eat ice cream, and really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.

    More from author:

    Share On:

    Most Read Stories