OREM — They've sung all of their lives — on stage, at church and at home. So when Michael, Nathan, Douglas, David, Scott, Jon, Alex and Tyler Osmond got together a couple of months ago, the brothers did what came naturally. They sang, they talked about family and discussed plans for Christmas.
With Osmonds, the equation of music plus family plus Christmas usually adds up to an Osmond family Christmas show. So, without prompting from their father, Alan, the Osmonds 2nd Generation put together a special two-night Christmas celebration.
"I had nothing to do with this," said their dad. "They have their own careers, but when they came together, well, I just glowed. You'll see the Osmond bloodline (in them)."
The Christmas concert will feature familiar songs from the original Osmond Christmas album, produced by the first generation of Osmonds: Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Jimmy and Marie. The 2nd Generation will perform songs like "Pine Cones and Holly Berries," "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas." They also promise to have some new lively songs.
"It may even snow in the barn," said Nathan Osmond. "We have hand-picked many of our favorite Christmas songs and combined them with breathtaking production."
Anyone who has ever experienced an Osmond concert will want to check them out. Their harmonies are just as tight, their smiles just as bright and their dance steps very similar to the first generation's. They are musicians in their own right and come by their talents not only genetically but with hard work and rehearsal.
In their early days they were known as the Osmond Boys and made several appearances at the Stadium of Fire during America's Freedom Festival at Provo. Those opportunities put them in the limelight and starting building a fan base that continues to follow them today.
What makes these men different from most of the first generation is that they all have careers outside of singing. They have all gone to public schools, some to college. Michael, Nathan, Douglas, David, Scott and Jon have all served LDS missions.
Put these guys on stage with instruments and songs and they will rock the audience's socks off, then a moment later bring them to tears.
In 1998 they followed their uncle Donny's lead and starred in the North American tour of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," featuring David in the lead role as Joseph with his real brothers playing the brother roles. They did the same in 1999.
So what do these guys do now when they're not singing? Their resumes go something like this:
• Michael served an LDS mission in Copenhagen, Denmark. He and his wife, Beka, have five children. He travels the globe with an Internet marketing company called Stores Online.
• Nathan served his mission in Santiago, Chile. He and his wife, Sarah, have three children. Nathan is a motivational speaker and president of NTunes Productions LLC.
• Douglas served an LDS mission in Johannesburg, South Africa. He and his wife, Tiffany, have three children. He is an entrepreneur. He is currently involved with a technology company in the movie industry and does a lot of public speaking.
• David served a mission in Madrid, Spain, and married his wife, Valerie, this year. He attended Brigham Young University, New York University and Utah Valley State College, all the while involved in musical projects and performances. He works as a studio musician and guest artist as well as writing and developing music for a solo project.
• Scott served his mission in Asuncion, Paraguay. He and his wife, Annie, have two children. Scott is chief financial officer for Hogi Yogi Corp. and working on his master's degree in accounting.
• Jon served in the Brazil, Brasilia Mission. He and his wife, Laura, have one child. Jon is an accountant.
• Alex is serving an LDS mission in Atlanta, Ga. He intends to work in editing and production. Big brother Doug said, "He's an incredible guitar player."
• Tyler is 17 and attends Mountain View High School in Orem. He is interested in video editing and producing. He made most of the videos in the Christmas concert.
The Christmas concert is presented by the ZRII company, and the proceeds will benefit the Christmas Box House.
If you go . . .
What: "A Family Christmas," starring the Osmonds 2nd Generation.
When: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 23 and 24
Where: Show Barn, Thanksgiving Point in Lehi
Cost: $22.50
Phone: 768-4900
E-mail: pugmire@desnews.com