HUNTSVILLE, AL — Christmas is coming in less than a month for Brice Marsh, now living in the Birmingham area. That’s when he will celebrate the birth of Jesus with a several thousand of his closest friends – at the fifth annual Festival of Sacred Christmas Music here Dec. 4.
The annual concerts, which feature world-class gospel alongside hometown talent, bring the best in close-harmony gospel and a cappella sacred music to the Von Braun Center’s Concert Hall for a Branson-style, fast-paced musical celebration.
And tour companies from Fort Payne to Florence to Birmingham have already booked busloads of fans who will be returning. They come knowing they’ll hear inspiring music and that any proceeds, after expenses, will benefit a local charity, this year The Linc, a tutoring program for students at Lincoln Elementary School.
That fan base makes promoting the concert much easier than the first year or two, Marsh said.
“In the past, people didn’t realize that this is not just another program,” Marsh said. “This is to reclaim, proclaim and to celebrate Christ in Christmas.”
Performers this year include the elite 16-voice ensemble, Voices of Lee University, emcee and recording artist Bob Smith, and some surprises.
“There’s one, Free Spirit out of Scottsboro, that you’ve never heard the likes of,” Marsh said. “This is a grandfather with his two 16-year-old grandsons. It’s unlike anything in the country. I heard their CD and thought the grandfather was singing bass – but it’s one of the grandsons. It’s amazing.”
Other surprises will include the six-voice women’s a cappella ensemble from Mayfair Church of Christ, Serenade, and the Huntsville-based New Orleans-style Coolbone Jazz Brass Band.
Marsh, who has been involved as both singer and fan of gospel quartet music all his life, conceived the idea of the local concert after enjoying the shows in Branson, Mo., one year. He loved how the public shows were also publicly Christian and unabashed about wishing everyone a “Merry Christmas,” not the generic “Happy Holidays.”
Marsh points out that, despite the religious diversity of Americans, surveys done by the conservative Alliance Defense Fund have shown that at least 95 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas in some way. The Festival of Sacred Christmas Music is meant to remind people for the reason for the season.
Despite the stars who will be performing, Marsh is constantly aware of the real goal of the program.
“We’re not trying to put on a show,” Marsh said. “It’s the birth of Christ we’re proclaiming. This isn’t a concert; it’s a concept.”
Keep Christmas Alive
5th Festival of Christmas Music. Featuring Voices of Lee University, Serenade, Free Spirit, The Blue Notes 5. Emcee Bob Smith. Friday, Dec. 4. Von Braun Center Concert Hall. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Preshows 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. $15-35, with group discounts available. www.KeepChristmasAlive.org.
