Beverly Christmas Concert, Record Release, At First Parish Church

BEVERLY, MA —A holiday concert set for the First Parish Church Saturday night will feature several Beverly-based pianists and act as a record release party for Dan Kennedy's "An Enchanted Noel."

Kennedy, a former Beverly resident who now lives in Amherst, will perform solo with Beverly musicians Diane Anderson and Mark Retallack also part of the bill.

The concert is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church at 225 Cabot Street.

"An Enchanted Noel" is the seventh album from Kennedy, featuring classic holiday carols, pop favorites and two originals. Included is a version of the dramatic "Carol of the Bells" — originally written in 1916 by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych.

"In the mournful way I play this I dedicate to the many millions of hearts and souls of Ukraine during this trying time," Kennedy said.

Also included is the pandemic-themed track "For Those Not Here" about love lost during the COVID-19 health crisis.

"The first night of recording, back in my hotel room, the complete tune popped into my imagination," Kennedy said. "It switches back and forth between A Major and F# Major, like an entity that moves back and forth between heaven and earth: An angel?"

A composer of large works, choral works, and piano works, Anderson's Symphony for Winds was
premiered at the University of New Hampshire. She ranges from the music of Mozart and Debussy to Harold Arlen and George Gershwin.

A jazz piano student of Jeff Covel and Charlie Banacos, Retallack has taught piano for 50 years, been a guest educator at festivals, and a session keyboard player and arranger. He is currently the house pianist at the Backbeat Brewing Company in Beverly.

Tickets at the door are $20; those under 18 are $10. The new CD can be purchased here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)