Okanagan musicians are singing for the season for a new holiday TV special.
Hosted by Kelowna-based songstress and B.C. Music Awards winner Leah West and TV personality Doug Brown, Songs of the Season is currently being aired on Shaw TV. It runs daily through the festive season.
Despite having worked with Shaw for more than 20 years, Brown says he has never done a holiday show such as this before.
“I’ve been wanting to produce a holiday show for years and the first person I thought of was Leah,” he said. “I approached her about the idea. It was a natural fit for us to produce and host it together.”
The show includes musical duets from the co-hosts and show-stopping performances by Vernon’s own Jodi Pederson as well as fellow Okanagan performers Mike Gouchie, Tracy Yost, Anna Jacyszyn, and Brigitte.
For a fun twist, the co-hosts travel back in time to the Victorian era, via a magical top hat, to visit Scrooge and the cast of New Vintage Theatre’s A Christmas Carol.
The show also includes a visit to Chabad Okanagan, where Borwn and West learn about the Jewish tradition of Hanukkah.
The show opens with a heart-felt performance of O Holy Night by West.
Brown and West have collaborated on numerous music videos to support West’s musical career, however, this is the first time West has hosted a show for Shaw. The music was produced, recorded and engineered by West’s band member, pianist Brigitte, and includes a mix of holiday classics and original songs.
Local film venues include the Penticton Lakeside Resort, Big White Ski Resort, and Candy Cane Lane in downtown Kelowna. The show is a volunteer production, part of Shaw’s Community Access Programming, and a new endeavour to try and bring more locally-inspired ideas and programs to the public.
The program continues to air this week:
Mon, Dec 22 – 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Tue, Dec 23 – 7:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Wed, Dec 24 – 10:30 a.m.
The full-length show can also be found on YouTube:
