New soundtrack to your Aussie Christmas

Christmas is just 30 days away! No doubt, you’ve seen Christmas trees and decorations popping up at your local supermarkets, parks, schools and workplaces. There is no escaping the festive season. So now as your favourite carols start trickling through your speakers, why not mix it up with some new and original festive music. Carols in the Sun is a collection of modern Christmas carols that capture the Australian Christmas experience while not forgetting the reason we celebrate this holiday— the birth of hope through Jesus.

Five years in the making, the album comes with music scores and an activity resource booklet with discussion points and craft activities for each song.

Uniting Mission and Education (UME) have already agreed to adopt the album and resources for Messy Church and Congregation Worship.

Heather Price and Alison Davies are the two friends who began The Australian Christmas Carol Project and wrote and composed, Carols in the Sun.

The friends, who are both mothers, came up with the album’s concept when they lived in Melbourne.

The album and resources emulate the nativity story themes of struggle, family, hope and love; composed in a way that engages the whole family.

As a music teacher, Heather explains it all started with wanting to create music that children can also connect with and understand the messaging behind the nativity story.

“Sometimes it’s really difficult [after singing carols] and you’ve got a young child that’s asking  about the virgin’s womb or something like that,” said Heather.

“I wanted to do songs that had meaning to them but uses relevant language for kids these days.”

It was only when the two families moved to Newcastle and then with the support of Adamstown Uniting Church that they had access and the tools to bring the concept to life.

Heather, who lends her voice and musical talents in this album, comes from a family who has generations of accomplished musicians all involved in some way with church life.

Before this album, Heather has enjoyed an exciting musical career from playing as a Principal Double Bassist in the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra to performing with her indie band The Good at the Dolce and Gabbana 2005 Men’s Fashion Show.

Heather has had a hand at a wide range of musical genres but what has been constant is not just the creativity but the spirituality in her musical journey. Creativity and spirituality are two things Heather believes are “inseparable”.

“I feel very at home in the church and much of my musical upbringing happened in the church—the two things are really quite entwined for me,” said Heather.

This faith is ever evident in the melodies that are pulled together in this original Christmas carol album.

You can watch Heather Price perform the album live at the Adamstown Uniting Carolsfest 2016 or at King Edward Park Carols by Candlelight.

Carols in the Sun is out now, you can listen to or purchase the album and resources from Heather’s website. The album is also available on iTunes.

Watch Heather perform one of the albums songs, Gifts from the Stable, below.