Holiday concerts return to Hyde, Columbia, Plymouth
Published 7:25 pm Wednesday, December 4, 2019
- David Roach
From Bryan Funeral Service
During the upcoming holiday season, concert pianist and recording artist David Roach will be performing at three different venues in eastern North Carolina.
These concerts are free and open to the public and are presented by Bryan Funeral Service as a Christmas gift to the communities they serve. Owned and operated by Steve Bryan and Edward Torres, Bryan Funeral Service currently has funeral homes in Columbia, Plymouth and Swan Quarter, the locations where the concerts will take place.
Roach, a native of Rutherfordton, has ties to Hyde County and this will be his 10th “Christmas in Hyde” concert. It will be held at the Swan Quarter Baptist Church, 336 Main St., beginning at 7 p.m. on Dec. 11. In what has become a tradition at this concert, the audience will participate in a Hyde County version of the “12 Days of Christmas,” with a surprise addition on the program this year.
Roach will also perform at the Madge Van Horne Auditorium, 902 Main St., on the Columbia High School Campus at 7 p.m. the following evening, Dec. 12. His third performance will be Dec. 13, at the First Baptist Church, 309 Washington St., Plymouth.
Each of the concerts will feature holiday selections written by Roach and others that are special to him and his audience. All three concerts will end with audience participation in a selected traditional Christmas carol, which is sure to get everyone in the holiday spirit with the true meaning of the season.
Roach is a Lamon Records (an indie label in Nashville, Tennessee) concert pianist recording artist, who at the young age of 5, surprised his parents when he began playing church songs without music. In short order they decided it was time for lessons. He studied classical music and began developing his own style of Southern Gospel music. Currently he serves as the minister of music at Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Shelby, and also teaches private piano students.
Many of his CDs will be available for sale following the evening’s performances. His latest endeavor was published in 2018 and is entitled “The Comfort of Music.” An accompanying small book conveys the story of how 23 hymns gave comfort to someone special and the set includes a CD with all of the selections on it. His “A Classical Christmas” CD — melodies of Christmas and classical music — will also be available.
This press release was written before Steve Bryan tragically died in a car accident last weekend. The concerts will continue as scheduled.