Just 11 days after releasing their Christmas album in November, local musicians Kirstin Myers and Frances Drost, of the group Double Keyed, shared that their album charted at 13 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart. Myers is the instructor of oboe at Millersville University where she has been a faculty member of the Tell School of Music since 2000.
The album features Myers on oboe and English Horn and Drost on piano. The album takes listeners on a moving journey through seasonal favorites such as “O Come O Come Emmanuel” and “Carol of the Bells.”
“Oboe and English horn are often used to capture the mystery and elegance of the season and I was surprised to find so few holiday albums featuring this duo,” said Myers. “The Billboard charts confirm what Frances and I suspected, the combination of oboe and piano at Christmastime is a beautiful way to celebrate the season,” said Myers.
The album, “Midwinter’s Gift” features 10 original arrangements, commissioned by Double Keyed from Nashville’s Phillip Keveren and was recorded in August 2022 at Wildwood Recording in Franklin, Tennessee.
Particularly poignant is the arrangement of “Carol of the Bells,” a song of Ukrainian origin which Keveran arranged for the album about a month after the war began. They saved this arrangement for last, considering it could be a “tour de force” for Myers and Drost. Myers describes the end as “unexpected and hopeful, which reflects how most of us would like the war in Ukraine to end.”
“Midwinter’s Gift” can be found on all major streaming services. Digital downloads and CDs can be purchased at www.doublekeyed.bandcamp.com