NAC Orchestra and Johnny Reid deliver Christmas Magic in Southam Hall

It’s beginning to look a lot like…well anything but Christmas outside. The weather outside was frightful but looking anything like Christmas as heavy rain and warm temperatures have washed away what was left of the snow. But inside the walls of the National Arts Centre the Christmas Spirit was alive and well and on Friday night the NAC Orchestra was joined by our friend Johnny Reid for a night of Christmas Music, stories and laughter.

I grew up surrounded by classical music. I can’t count the number of evenings I spend at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto with my parents as a child listening to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra or some other guest Orchestra. As I got older my taste changed to more contemporary musical styles so it’s been, at least, 25 years since I had the luxury of experiencing a full orchestral performance.

That all changed last night as my son and I took in Johnny Reid Home for the Holidays at the National Arts Centre in the heart of Canada’s capital.  Johnny joined the incredible NAC Orchestra in the Southam Hall last night and the performance was nothing short of magic.

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Johnny Reid perform a number of times over the years and he’s still easily one of the greatest performers I’ve ever seen live. Adding the NAC Orchestra to the mix was the perfect addition to a Johnny Reid show, and using the packed Southam Hall audience as his choir was perfection. Hearing 2000 voices sing the chorus in unison was enough to give even the most seasoned musician goosebumps.

The evening started with a performance by the NAC Orchestra during which they performed a medley of Christmas carols and a beautiful performance of a selection of songs from Tchaikovsky’s classic “The Nutcracker”. This brought me back to my childhood to my first experience with the classic ballet at the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. Even more thrilling for me was when my 10 year old son told me that not only did he know it was from the Nutcracker that he really enjoyed the performance, that was a win for me right there. Perhaps we need some more classical music experiences in 2019.

Johnny joined the Orchestra and together they performed a number of classic and original carols mixed with some of Johnny’s stories which are always sure to get a laugh out of the crowd.

The show ended and, after 3 encores, the Orchestra had left the stage but the crowd wasn’t ready to leave just yet…and neither was Johnny. He quickly got his band back on the stage and continued the performance for a few more of his own songs including “Woman Like You” and, the ever so popular, hit “Darlin”. This was enough to get the entire audience on the Orchestra level of the hall up out of their seats and many rushed to the front of the stage to snap a photo, or video, of Johnny Reid. It was an incredible way to end an unforgettable evening of music.

Johnny Reid returns to the Southam Hall stage tonight at 8pm for tickets visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/19420. Johnny’s performance with the NAC Orchestra is part of a new series called Sessions in which popular Canadian musicians perform with the NAC Orchestra, next up Montreal’s inimitable Patrick Watson will join the Orchestra for one night only on January 19, tickets are available now.