PETER BREINHOLT, JON SCHMIDT, RYAN SHUPE AND THE RUBBERBAND, McKay Events Center, Orem, Saturday.
OREM — If you celebrate Christmas along the Wasatch Front, chances are very good that you'll get a bit of snow, that you'll see some spectacular lighting and decorations — and that you'll have opportunities to hear extremely talented local musicians perform Christmas music.
One of those opportunities came Saturday night during the third annual "Wasatch Christmas" concert featuring Peter Breinholt, Jon Schmidt and Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand, along with a few of their friends.
Things were lively and bright, with music that ranged from the traditional to the unconventional, with Celtic, country, folk, bluegrass and pop mixed in.
Singer/songwriter Cherie Call started things off with a couple of her own compositions, tender songs about gifts from the heart and finding peace on Earth.
Breinholt's uniquely styled Celtic "I Saw Three Ships" was a definite crowd-pleaser, as were his original compositions about everything from Christmas Eve to a Civil War holiday to Jerusalem.
Pianist Jon Schmidt offered his own version of "I Saw Three Ships" and "Ding, Dong, Merrily on High" (complete with Hostess Ding Dongs tossed into the audience). He literally played an upside-down version of "Rudolph" and even did a bit of toe-jammin' on the keyboard. (JumboTron screens used for close-ups of the musicians and mood-setting nostalgic photos provided great shots of Schmidt's amazing finger work.)
Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand performed with other artists throughout the evening but also had their turn to shine on a very merry "Bluegrass Christmas Mayhem" and "The Gift."
Singer (and show organizer) James Conlee joined them on a beautiful "What Child Is This." And Conlee's "Still, Still, Still," performed with Schmidt, is about as pretty an arrangement of that song as you'll hear.
There were some non-Christmas moments as well. Conlee and Breinholt did a duet of the energetic "Why." Pianist David Tolk stepped into the spotlight for a gorgeous version of "Amazing Grace." But one of the most unusual moments came with Steve Nelson playing the cello like a guitar on Schmidt's "Pachelbel meets U2."
Craig Miner's banjo solo of "The Christmas Song" was followed by what Shupe called "the weirdest version of 'Joy to the World' you'll every hear." It was loud and energetic . . . but there are probably weirder versions out there.
To wrap things up, the entire troupe came together for "Silent Night," which not only captured the simple beauty of the song but also made you appreciate the exceptional talent "Wasatch Christmas" has to offer.
E-MAIL: carma@desnews.com