Keith and Kristyn Getty’s “Sing! An Irish Christmas Tour” mixes Irish celebration with the holiness of the season
Grammy-nominated hymnists Keith and Kristy Getty weave the fabric of tradition and community into the Christmas season—and emphasize the role that singing plays in spiritual formation—with their annual —Sing! Irish Christmas†a tour
Keith Getty, who with his wife is behind some of today’s best-loved hymns including “In Christ Alone” and “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death,” told The Christian Post that the tour reflects the couple. ™’s belief that hymns are integral in forming a comprehensive understanding of faith and the human experience.
“The great carols of the faith, the great Christmas hymns of the faith, are probably among the best ever written, and there are many reasons for that,” Keith Getty told The Christian Post.
“Part of it is the rhythm of the Christmas season and the sentimentality of it means that we sing hymns over and over again, so we get to know them more deeply” and that’s something we should learn from throughout the rest of the year. , too. The great songs of the faith tell the story of redemption, but they also emphasize the incarnation, the life of Christ, His words, His vulnerability and His history. All of those things allow carols to connect into our humanity in a much more personal way. Especially in a culture that leans towards story and away from fact, even more so for our generation, it is a vital opportunity for churches to reach the next generation of children and those who have yet to believe as well.”
According to Getty, the format of the tour—a mix of festive joy and solemn reverence—mirrors the duality of Christmas itself. The first half is a lively Irish celebration, while the second half offers a contemplative journey through the Christmas story with traditional lessons and carols.
“We learned in the American culture that Americans like to go out and celebrate Christmas and have a happy experience,” the Irish musician told CP. So, what we have created is just a real Irish party. The first half is 45 minutes; it’s high energy, it’s fun … it’s built around the great hymns of Christmas … Then the second half is a 60-minute carol lesson where we read the Christmas story and go through the nine carol lessons. .. it’s fun.”Â
The Gettys’ four children also attend their Christmas concerts, reflecting the couple’s commitment to encouraging families to sing together. This year’s tour will feature brand new songs by the Gettys along with traditional Christmas carols.
The a tour begins December 9 at Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage) and will feature special guests including Pastor AR Bernard of the Christian Cultural Center; Malcolm Guite, leading Christian poet; and Michael Keller, son of the late Tim Keller and the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church–Lincoln Square. The multi-city tour will wrap up on Dec. 9, hitting famous spots like the DC Museum of the Bible along the way.
According to Getty, the tour is an inclusive effort that works with local choirs and leaders in each city, aiming to deepen the understanding and appreciation of hymns and their role in worship. He reflected on the broader appeal of hymns beyond the niche of church worship, noting their reach across various musical communities from classical to global genres.
“Throughout the music world, hymns have tremendous favor among many communities, from classical to inspirational to bluegrass to global, that Christian music would not have because the music touches on different areas,” he said. “Hymns have an enormous scope, from national coronations to other areas … modern worship would never be in that space.†.
The idea for the Christmas tour, which was presented to millions of households internationally on public television, the BBC and the Trinity Broadcasting Network, was conceived by the Gettys in 2001, shortly after they wrote “In Christ Alone.”
The pair envisioned a future where hymns would play a key role in influencing culture in a meaningful way, much like their heroes Martin Luther, Charles Wesley and John Newton. Getty emphasized the profound impact of their hymns on society a generation after they were written, leading to widespread Christian conversion, church foundations, and improved social condition.
—We thought, ‘What would the world look like in 2050, if our children grew up singing songs that give people a big picture of the God of the Bible, help them understand what the Bible is about, help them understand the Bible . entire spectrum of human emotion? What would that mean for their understanding of the Bible and of themselves?†Getty said.Â
“We thought, for 50 years, create an organization that focuses mainly on giving people great hymns that help them understand the Lord, and then, let’s do things with those songs.†.
The “Sing! An Irish Christmas show, which has played to about 40,000-50,000 people every year for the past five years, started with an album and an event with Billy Graham: “Everybody wanted a Christmas show; everyone who heard our music wanted to hear a Christmas event,†Getty recalled.Â
The program’s success led to a partnership with PBS, making it a staple in Carnegie Hall’s Christmas season and gaining a significant presence at the Kennedy Center and the Museum of the Bible, thus opening doors for people of all backgrounds to experience the power of hymns. . Â
“It was just an extraordinary opportunity that opened doors for people and so we are so very excited about it,†Getty said.
Learn more about Keith and Kristyn Getty’s —Sing! Irish Christmas†a tour here.
Source: www.christianpost.com