HOLIDAY JUKEBOX to Benefit The Giving Fridge

It was one of the best ideas to come out of the dreary Covid lockdown. Since people couldn't go caroling or even attend a Messiah sing-along, Middlebury's Town Hall Theater found a way to bring the season into everyone's living room.

"We enlisted some of the area's best singers and musicians to make videos, and packaged them together as the Holiday Jukebox, rolling it out on Christmas Eve," says THT artistic
director Douglas Anderson. "But would anybody watch?"

They watched. The Jukebox had hundreds of views and raised over $2600 for the HOPE Food Bank.

"It seemed like a win-win for everybody," says Anderson. "The musicians enjoyed reaching a big audience, the show raised a lot of money for a great cause, and the local nature of the video seemed so appropriate for the holiday season. People got in touch once again with the enormous talent and generosity of this community."

The idea was such a success that THT is reviving it again this year. Once again there will be a wide range of musical styles, from traditional hymns to pop, a cappella, ska, roots music and even a bell choir. This year's line-up includes Clint Bierman, The Almendros, Lila, Carina & Sadie Brightman, Ashley Betton, the Young Tradition Touring Group, the Middlebury College Mamajamas a cappella group, Jillian Torres & Chuck Miller, the Middlebury Congregational Church Bell Choir, 8 Cuerdas, and the Middlebury College Community Choir singing an original piece by Middlebury composer Peter Hamlin.

This year the show will benefit Middlebury's Giving Fridge, an innovative program that partners with local restaurants to feed people in need. The brainchild of Bethanie Farrell, the Giving Fridge is currently serving over 400 meals a week.

The show will stream from Christmas Eve through January 1. The cost is only $10 per household. For tickets, go to www.townhalltheater.org or call the THT Box Office at 802 382-9222 (Mon-Fri, noon-5 pm).

"This is also a wonderful and unique Christmas gift," says Anderson, "a delightful addition to any holiday gathering. A group of talented people, people you know, streaming into your house to help you celebrate this holiday season. What could be better?"

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