IN CONCERT
What: Serena Ryder
Where: Royal Theatre
When: Sunday, Nov. 24, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $40.50-$58 from the Royal McPherson box office (250-386-6121) or rmts.bc.ca
Note: Ryder also performs Nov. 27 at the Cowichan Theatre in Duncan, Nov. 28 at Alberni District Secondary School in Port Alberni and Nov. 29 at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo
There are only so many weekends in December to stage a seasonal concert, so certain events — such as Serena Ryder’s upcoming Christmas-themed tour — must find a home in November.
That isn’t always ideal, but Ryder has one big asset on her side: Christmas Kisses, her 2018 seasonal album, which pairs classics such as Santa Baby and Let it Snow with her distinctive voice.
“I was approached by [Pink Floyd producer] Bob Ezrin to do a holiday album, and I asked for us to do a jazz record,” Ryder said in an interview with the Vancouver Sun. “Because that was how I started singing back when I was eight, nine, 10 years old, singing Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and others. So I was able to do my jazz trio record as well as a holiday album — double win.”
The six-time Juno Award winner kicks off her Christmas Kisses tour in Vancouver on Saturday, followed by four performances on Vancouver Island that get underway with her concert Sunday at the Royal Theatre. The trek includes stops at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre in Duncan (Nov. 27), Alberni District Secondary School in Port Alberni (Nov. 28) and the Port Theatre in Nanaimo (Nov. 29).
Ryder’s concert will feature both jazzy Christmas songs and hit singles reimagined from elsewhere in her catalogue.
“Luckily, I have quite a lot of songs to balance out the set,” Ryder told the Vancouver Sun. “I have a lot of songs that fit this vibe, such as the jazzy For You, or Fall, and a lot of other songs that work well as singalongs. And you know that Stompa could wind up in there, too, depending.”
The latter song, nominated for single of the year at the 2013 Juno Awards, raised Ryder’s profile to the level where a fun-first project such as Christmas Kisses could even be a possibility. But while a Christmas album won’t receive the same attention as her original material, it’s more than a stop-gap while she writes the follow-up to her 2017 album Utopia.
“I feel like the magic that happens around this time of year is unique and really is something everyone probably needs,” Ryder told the Vancouver Sun.
