Coig will perform a holiday show in December at the Chocolate Church Arts Center in Bath. Courtesy photo
The Chocolate Church Arts Center presents a packed schedule of holiday-themed events in late November and throughout December. The lineup will feature everything from a Motown concert to a Charlie Brown tribute show from piano legend David Benoit.
To kick things off, on Saturday, Nov. 27, Pat Colwell and the Soul Sensations will return to the Chocolate Church stage with “A Motown Christmas.” This live, old-school R&B revue, complete with backup singers and a full horn section, will feature soulful takes on Christmas tunes, as well as classic hits from The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and more.
David Benoit, a three-time GRAMMY nominee and icon of contemporary jazz piano, will make his debut at the arts center on Friday, Dec. 3, with “A Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown.” Benoit took over from Vince Guaraldi as music composer for the beloved Charlie Brown specials more than a decade ago and the concert will feature Guaraldi’s classic compositions, along with Benoit’s original tunes. Guest vocalist Courtney Fortune will make a special appearance.
Maine’s own Don Campbell Band will play a Christmas-themed show on Saturday, Dec. 10. Campbell, who was recognized for six consecutive years as the Maine Sunday Telegram’s favorite Maine songwriter, will perform a mix of holiday classics and original songs inspired by his home state.
Dec. 11 will bring “A Beatles Holiday Celebration,” which will feature Star Club, a premier Massachusetts-based Beatles Tribute Band. Star Club provide the full Fab Four holiday experience complete with suits, mop-tops, holiday hits and Beatles favorites.
The following weekend is another double-header, starting with Còig on Friday, Dec. 17. Còig, the 2020 Canadian Folk Music Awards winner, will play a special Christmas show, in which the musicians will shift between century-old tunes of past generations to original and contemporary compositions, featuring the band’s range of over a dozen instruments.
On Saturday, Dec. 18, multi-award-winning bluegrass mandolinist Matt Flinner teams up with American Roots band Low Lily to celebrate the Winter Solstice. This high-energy show will feature instrumentals alongside impeccably arranged songs to celebrate the season. Between them, the musicians play mandolins, guitars, fiddle, banjo, double bass and sing in three- and four-part vocal harmonies.
The season will come to a close at Chocolate Church Arts Center on Monday, Dec. 20, with an adapted version of “Sing! It’s Christmas,” a community singalong that has taken place at the venue for decades. The family-friendly event, which will feature local performers, is free to the public, but will have limited seating and will require pre-registration.
Tickets for all events at the Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St. in Bath, are available for purchase at chocolatechurcharts.org, or by calling the box office at (207) 442-8455. All performances will be subject to the center’s current COVID-19 related policy, which requires audience members age 12 and up to be fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours prior to arriving at a performance, along with a matching photo ID.
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