I Remember December

Also featured is an exceptional Northern Ontario Celtic/Folk artist by the name of Kevin Closs, whose songwriting and vocal skills are unsurpassed and truly unique in quality.

The Timmins Youth Singers, conducted by Rosanne Simunovic and accompanied by Susan Steel on piano and Gordon Simpson on keyboard ,give an inspiring performance on this album and the selections featuring the choir, Patricia and Kevin are pure magic. An album to rekindle the wonderful and magical memories of Christmas!

The songs are a great mix of old chestnuts and original material. If you are looking for a collection of obvious songs, you'll find some here, but not many. Classical composer John Rutter wrote the first two songs (Good ale and Blow blow thou winter wind) and also arranged the ancient but rarely recorded Here we come a-wassailing. Old-fashioned Christmas, Unto you this night, Let their celestial concerts unite, Let there be praise and I Remember December are among the songs that are new to me.

Patricia was originally a member of the Timmins youth singers and has since become a successful cabaret singer. Patricia has a clear, operatic soprano voice, which she controls perfectly as you can hear on the three songs she sings - Have yourself a very merry Christmas, O Holy Night/Cantique De Noel (both featuring her as soloist) and I remember December (which also features Kevin Closs).

Kevin is a renowned Celtic folk singer-songwriter and would seem to be an unlikely choice of guest on an album of choral music but his contribution is outstanding. He is the featured soloist on The Christmas song and Unto you this night.

This is an interesting choral Christmas album made more so by the addition of Kevin and Patricia as soloists on selected songs.


From Carol Swanson at WWW.ChristmasReviews.Com   December 6, 2003
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Rosanne Simunovic, the accomplished founder and conductor of the Timmins Youth Singers (subsequently called the Timmins Concert Singers), told me in recent correspondence that I Remember December is the group's most popular CD. It is easy to see why.

Snow, children, and Christmas make for a potent blend, and that potential is realized on I Remember December. This CD features 15 wonderful tracks, nicely blending popular favorites with classical compositions. On the classical side, Composer John Rutter, a great favorite of mine, has three winning songs here, beginning with the opening number Good Ale. Although it may be somewhat disconcerting to have youngsters boisterously singing "Bring me good ale!", the upbeat and celebratory tune sets the tone for this fine holiday offering. As the young singers move into Rutter's Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind, the ambiance becomes much moodier, and you can almost feel the cutting winter wind whipping through Timmins. The final Rutter number, Here We Come A-Wassailing, is a natural fit for these young voices; you can just picture the children moving up and down the snowy streets, wassailing with natural joy and energy.

As for popular numbers, Christmas Is presents a wonderful solo by featured guest artist Kevin Closs, and when the Timmins Youth Singers do The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, the sentiment rings entirely true. The short, but fun, Jingle Bells almost explodes with cheeriness; the young singers' enthusiasm permeates every note.

I Remember December ends on another high note (literally). Guest performer Patricia O'Callaghan (a former member of the Timmins Youth Singers) possesses a crystalline soprano voice and joins with Kevin Closs on the title number. Their voices form a lovely blend on this bittersweet tale of holiday memories. It should be noted, too, that O'Callaghan does a masterful job on the prior cut, singing a gorgeous soprano solo on O Holy Night/Cantique De Noel.

Considering that these immature voices are relatively untrained, the Timmins Youth Singers demonstrate a surprisingly even musicianship throughout. Timmins, the hometown of Shania Twain ("Timmins' Singing Sweetheart"), obviously must have music magic in the water. After all, Timmins (in northern Ontario) is not a major metropolitan area (population about 43,000); supporting a quality vocal ensemble like this one in such a setting is no small feat. In fact, in recent times, the Timmins Concert Singers have gone on sabbatical, although their web site and their conductor remain quite active. The group already leaves a substantial legacy of music (A Christmas Legacy and Scenes From A Dream, both also reviewed on this site) for their many fans throughout North America.

If you are looking for a well-balanced set of memorable holiday songs presented by a talented youth choir, you have found the right CD. You will remember to put I Remember December on your audio system each December year after year after year.

--Carol Swanson


Memories Of The Recording Of I Remember December   November 11, 2002
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3ZN5305MLRKP This video clip highlights the opinions of the conductor and some of the singers as they journeyed through the recording process. Some of the comments are plain fun, just hilarious. Pure spontaneity here!

This CD really captures the magic and enthusiasm of the Holiday season. Great performances by the Timmins Youth Singers, Patricia O'Callaghan and Kevin Closs, all under the direction of Rosanne Simunovic. Beautiful artistry, superb production and repertoire. I Remember December


I LOVE THIS CD!   October 27, 2001
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

What a beautiful CD. The voices, the instrumentalists are just wonderful. Soloists Patricia O'Callaghan (O Holy Night & Have Yourself A Merry Christmas, I Remember December) and Kevin Closs (Christmas Is/The Christmas Song, Unto You This Night, I Remember December) and the outstanding voices of the Timmins Youth Singers make this CD a memorable experience.