What’s a “Concept Album,” you may ask? Well, the journey of these songs goes beyond any specific production, any specific cast of performers. They began in 2019 with a concept for a new stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novella by Zak Berkman that would include original music inspired by traditional 19th century British Christmas carols. Over the next six years, Berkman adapted these carols and composed new music in partnership with his longtime friend, mentor, and collaborator, Mitch Chakour, who arranged and produced everything you hear on this album.

People’s Light initially planned to debut Berkman’s adaptation in 2020. The pandemic caused a gear shift, and People’s Light instead produced A Christmas Carol in Concert, a highly popular film that included excerpts from the original Dickens interwoven with some of these tunes. People’s Light officially re-opened in November 2021 with the first full staging of Berkman’s adaptation. A second production followed in 2023, which received numerous Barrymore nominations and an award for Music Director, Justin Yoder. This year, 2025, brings a brand new production to People’s Light’s Leonard C. Haas Stage. With each iteration, songs were added, removed, rewritten, and re-arranged. This album features music from all these productions and the film, but with a new spin. Berkman and Chakour invited a wide range of artists into studios in Massachusetts, New York City, and Philadelphia over the summer to create distinctive versions of these songs that can be enjoyed beyond the context of any theatrical production. We hope you enjoy them.