This holiday performance is supported by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org) LIVE SHOW TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT! HOWEVER, LIVESTREAM TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE! All purchasers of livestream passes will also get a link to the edited version of the performance, and that link will not expire.

THE PROGRAM: The soundtrack of the heartwarming animated cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas, is brilliantly performed by the incomparable Eric Byrd Trio. For years now, Eric Byrd has been performing the iconic soundtrack from A Charlie Brown Christmas with his trio at venues across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. This is a brilliant, live performance of the Vince Guaraldi masterpiece score. Eric Byrd on piano, with Alphonso Young Jr on drums and Will Hazlehurst on bass.

Your ticket also includes a delightful post-show hangout with the musicians where you can indulge in homemade desserts, fresh fruit, and savory charcuterie. Enjoy complimentary soft drinks and take advantage of our cash bar offering discounted wine, beer, and cocktails.

Video clip: https://youtu.be/mHqoTP5Wp3g

Bio: Pianist/vocalist Eric Byrd has been playing professionally for over 30 years. Along with the principles of swing and be-bop, rousing gospel-tinged chords and trilling blues lines are fundamental elements of his performance style. His improvisations are intense, soulful and romantic; he takes listeners on a joyride as his fingers create magical works of art. A Grammy Award voter, Eric has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Tim Green, Warren Wolf, Jeff Majors, Charlie Byrd, and Yolanda Adams to name a few. Along with his own recordings as a leader, he also appears on over 15 recordings by other artists. He graduated from and was a former music professor at McDaniel College where he completed his undergraduate degree. An in-demand leader and sideman, active in both the jazz and gospel worlds, Eric is the primary composer for the group. Alongside saxophonist Tim Warfield, Eric served as an Artist in Residence at Messiah College in PA where he directed the United Voices of Praise Gospel Choir. In 2021 he joined drummer Alphonso Young, Jr on the jazz faculty of Shenandoah University as private jazz piano instructor. He is also the director of the Gettysburg College Sunderland Conservatory Jazz Combo and teaches History of Jazz. The Shenandoah University Conservatory of Music commissioned jazz big band arrangements of several of his compositions. Those arrangements were featured in a fall 2022 concert and at the Jazz Educators Network Annual Conference in January of 2023.