Christmas concerts with roots this deep are rare. The Gathering is as lively and eclectic as any good family gathering, from high-energy hoedowns to heartfelt remembrances of holidays at home. Gorgeous voices and crystalline harmonies backed by an all-star string-band, The Gathering breathes new life into traditional Christmas music and features fresh new songs of the season. The show is centered around The Gathering: A Winter's Tale in Six Songs, an Appalachian song cycle by Dossett; other highlights include Compton singing his former boss John Hartford's "On Christmas Eve," Giddens and Sypher doing "O Holy Night" as a stark and stunning bass and voice duet, and Newberry’s new holiday hymn “On This Christmas Day.”