Listening with Lisa: Pentatonix, A Christmas Spectacular
Merry Christmas Eve Eve!
It’s safe to say that Pentatonix is most-known for their Christmas albums. From That’s Christmas to Me to Christmas is Here! to Evergreen (just to name a few), the five-person a capella group releases a new album for the holiday season just about every year.
My family is always awaiting the release of each Christmas album, because, what else are we supposed to listen to while drinking cocoa and decorating our Christmas tree?
When I found out Pentatonix was visiting Jacksonville on their world tour, A Christmas Spectacular, I had to surprise my family and best friend with tickets (Merry Christmas).
Nothing signifies a concert more than an eager crowd of people (who were surprisingly mostly over the age of 60) and the overwhelming smells of Cinnabon and buttery popcorn.
Opening for Pentaonix was A Girl Named Tom, the winner of The Voice season 21. The family band played a set of classic Christmas covers including Silent Night and Here Comes Santa Claus, but they managed to sprinkle in a few original songs as well.
Rather than dedicating the concert to their new Christmas album, Holidays Around the World, Pentatonix (Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee) performed many of their older arrangements – which I appreciated. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, White Winter Hymnal, and 12 Days of Christmas were some of the first pieces in their set list.
My dad and I share a special love for the way Pentatonix have arranged Amazing Grace, a song included on their 2020 Christmas album, We Need A Little Christmas. The dissonant harmonies and delicate exchange of phrases didn’t need the support of elaborate dancing or visual effects. When the singers lined up on stage to sing the arrangement, I could hear each tone of each chord in perfect harmony… this, by far, was the best part of the show.
After the intermission, Scott Hoying told us the story of how they got a hold of their beatboxer Kevin.
Kirstin, Scott, and Mitch have been friends since they were children because they were in choir and theater together. One day, they decided to audition for the a capella competition show, The Sing Off; however, they couldn’t do it because the show required each group to have a beatboxer.
“Out of desperation and panic,” Scott said he went on YouTube and searched “beatboxer.” Scott quickly came across a viral video of Kevin, in a dorm room, playing cello and beatboxing at the same time – celloboxing, as Kevin has named it.
Scott told us he immediately messaged Kevin.
“Hey man, if you’re free, do you wanna fly across the country and audition for this a capella show with us?” Scott said to Kevin via YouTube Message.
“I would but I’m currently studying for finals to get my pre-med degree at Yale,“ Kevin said to Scott.
Kirstin, Scott, and Mitch thought it was a lost cause. But, two weeks later, received another message from Kevin saying he was finished with finals and earned his pre-med degree.
Kevin spontaneously flew across the country to meet the three singers one day before their audition for The Sing Off, and are still performing together eleven years later.
Scott handed the spotlight to Kevin to play a set of celloboxing. He performed the same song from the YouTube video– a short piece with a lot of double stops and appoggiaturas with, of course, spiced-up beatboxing.
With his aspiration of taking classical pieces and making them “his own,” Kevin performed an excerpt of the Bach Prelude for Cello Suite No. 1– the first piece that probably comes to mind when you think of classical cello music.
After establishing the main theme of the Suite, Kevin added in his beatboxing, and the show kept getting more elaborate. Without introduction, Kevin began Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. The beatboxing was enough to transform the classical piece into a cross between hip-hop and rock, but the dancers and colorful lights definitely played a big role in making the audience get off their feet.
This was Kevin’s final piece in the set, but I could’ve watched him for hours. The audience gave him the longest and loudest standing ovation of the entire show. He deserved it.
With, what seems like, thousands of Christmas songs Pentatonix have released, it was impossible to fit everyone’s favorites in the set list. So, they had to come up with a solution: The Wheel of Christmas!
Three spins of the wheel– three excerpts from the chosen Christnas songs. Lucky for me, they ended up singing two of my favorite arrangements: My Favorite Things and Making Christmas.
A worldwin of harmonies, riffs, and jokes later, Pentatonix ended the show on a high note by performing Kid on Christmas.
Experiencing Pentatonix: A Christmas Spectacular with my family has taken the place as one of my favorite holiday memories.
Happy holidays, everyone.
P.S. View all Justin’s photos from the concert here!