Today, dancing pop-violin sensation Lindsey Stirling releases her enchanting Christmas album Snow Waltz via Concord Records (out on vinyl November 18th). Laced with immersive arrangements and mesmerizing melodies, Snow Waltz emerges as a remarkable new entry in the holiday-music canon, proving Stirling’s extraordinary gift as an instrumental storyteller.
Listen here.
Alongside the album, Lindsey also released a new video for focus track “Snow Waltz.” The video marries eeriness featuring skeleton makeup, rib cage costumes with the light-hearted side of Christmas and being home for the holidays. Stirling elegantly dances her way through a snowy room full of presents, Christmas trees and a feast filled table.
As Popdust puts it, “Lindsey Stirling refuses to make a boring holiday album.” All throughout Snow Waltz, Stirling matches the stunning complexity of her arrangements with warmly effusive energy. Rooted in her ineffably expressive violin work and graced with so many cinematic details (darkly sweeping percussion, lilting flute melodies, bright and sprightly glockenspiel tones), focus track “Snow Waltz” immediately conjures that delightfully eerie mood, wholly embodying the limitless imagination at the heart of Stirling’s artistry. On “Joy to the World,” for instance, another focus track, she joined forces with Gladius (longtime Grammy nominated producer with credits including Demi Lovato & Justin Bieber) and orchestrator Stephen Anderson to create a gloriously stomping, Celtic-inspired take on the 18th century Christmas carol.
“Celtic was always my favorite music to play when I was younger; the rhythms felt way more exciting to me than the classical music you tend to perform in violin lessons,” Stirling says. “As I was choosing songs for the album, ‘Joy to the World’ really spoke to my Celtic soul, and it was so much fun to put together something that bounces so quickly from major to minor and back again.”
On “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” Stirling delivers an elegant violin performance adorned with a beat-heavy track sprinkled with her hypnotic and heavenly vocals. In perfect contrast, flamenco-infused “Feliz Navidad” is romantic, fun and upbeat, featuring Mark Ballas’ guitar playing talents (a dancer/choreographer/musician/actor who served as her partner on the 25th season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”).
“Little Drummer Boy” features a powerhouse performance from her longtime touring drummer Drew Steen, while “O Come Emmanuel” unfolds with a brooding intensity that instantly lends the album an irresistible touch of drama. And in reimagining “Deck the Halls,” Stirling deliberately pushed the boundaries of interpretation, weaving in elements of “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and “Silent Night” to create a captivating medley that gracefully cycles through a dizzying whirlwind of time signatures. “Magic” ft. David Archuleta holds powerful significance for Stirling. The bittersweet but uplifting ballad was sparked from a profound moment of Stirling’s life, when her sisters and mom shared loving and fun memories around her father’s passing.
The “theatrically whimsical violin shredder” (Stereogum) will embark on her North American Snow Waltz tour in November. Beginning in Grand Prairie, TX on November 17th and culminating in a special show on December 23rd in Los Angeles, the 25+ run of dates sees Stirling performing in San Antonio, Orlando, Newark, Milwaukee and more. Stirling’s unique interpretation of beautifully nostalgic holiday music will be more dynamic than ever; Consequence says “the violinist has become a fixture of Christmastime concerts with her combination of cutting-edge performances that include dance, trapeze, lyra, and aerial work along with her signature genre-bending, amped-up orchestrations.” See below for Stirling’s full tour routing.
SNOW WALTZ TRACKLIST
1. Sleigh Ride
2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
3. Crazy for Christmas ft. Bonnie McKee
4. Feliz Navidad
5. Joy to the World Intro
6. Joy to the World
7. Snow Waltz
8. Christmas Time With You ft. Frawley
9. Little Drummer Boy
10. Oh Come Emmanuel
11. Oh Holy Night
12. Magic ft. David Archuleta
13. Deck the Halls
14. Ice Storm
LINDSEY STIRLING TOUR ROUTING:
Nov 17 – Grand Prairie, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie
Nov 18 – Lubbock, TV – Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts
Nov 19 – Amarillo, TX – Amarillo Civic Center Complex
Nov 21 – Midland, TX – Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center
Nov 22 – San Antonio, TX – Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
Nov 25 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theater
Nov 26 – Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts – Moran Theater
Nov 28 – Fort Myers, FL – Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
Nov 29 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
Nov 30 – Orlando, FL – Walt Disney Theatre at Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts
Dec 2 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center
Dec 3 – Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Dec 5 – Hersey, PA – Hershey Theatre
Dec 6 – Albany, NY – The Palace Theatre
Dec 7 – Newark, NJ – NJPAC
Dec 9 – Mashantucket, CT – Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
Dec 10 – Waterloo, NY – Del Lago Resort & Casino
Dec 12 – Ft Wayne, IN – Embassy Theatre
Dec 13 – Milwaukee, WI – The Riverside Theater
Dec 15 – Loveland, CO – Budweiser Events Center
Dec 16 – West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center
Dec 17 – Idaho Falls, ID – Mountain America Center
Dec 19 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live
Dec 20 – San Jose, CA – San Jose Civic
Dec 22 – Mesa, AZ – Ikeda Theater
Dec 23 – Los Angeles, CA – Pantages Theatre
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