Beverly Composer's 'The Tidings' Becomes TV Holiday Concert Special

BEVERLY, MA — A year after Beverly resident Paul Van Ness and his cast of musicians performed "The Tidings: A Christmas Concert For Those Who Grieve" on the historic Cabot Theater stage — amid the apt background of a second holiday season under the shadow of the COVID-19 health crisis — that story of the deeply troubled times that surrounded the birth of Jesus is coming to Public Broadcasting Stations across the nation.

Van Ness composed "The Tidings" in 1988 while in his late 20s to help deal with struggles in his own personal life. He then revived the show in a series of small performances across the North Shore in 2018 before bringing it to Cabot with nine fellow musicians — who mostly hail from the North Shore — last Dec. 21.

As the emerging Omicron variant quelled theater crowds, and the unease around the virus continued to dampen the holiday for many, he told Patch he viewed the themes of loss and conflict of the show as fitting.

"We are living in times that are particularly dark and difficult," he told Patch. "For some people, simply Jesus being born into the world is not really an answer that's helpful on its own. It's more allowing that there is a light that shines that maybe can only be seen through the darkness."

About 200 people attended the December 2021 show that was filmed and this holiday season will be shown on more than 300 PBS-affiliated stations across the country, including those in New York City and Los Angeles.

"Each individual station takes a look at the program and decides whether to broadcast it," he said. "It was so gratifying to see such a positive response."

"The Tidings" explores the birth of Jesus amid the backdrop of violence and sorrow from when it occurred — but is rarely included in the story of Christmas. The joy of the birth of Jesus soon perilous when Herod, who believed he was the King of the Jews, learns of a new "Young King" and seeks to find him.

When an angel warns Mary and Joseph that Herod has nefarious intent to harm Jesus to prevent him from growing up to become a political rival, they flee to Egypt, while Herod orders the massacre of Jewish boys under the age of 2 in retribution.

"During a season when we're so often encouraged to feel happiness and cheer, the true story of Christmas encompasses all of the human emotions, freeing us to experience the miracle of Christ's coming as our whole selves," Soprano and Co-Producer Megan Shannon DeFranza said of the story.

Van Ness said that, unfortunately for local audiences, WGBH and WGBX in Boston only show in-house productions and are among the less than two dozen stations nationwide that will not be airing the concert film, but that it will be broadcast on New Hampshire and Maine PBS stations, as well as found streaming here.

While the historical accuracy of this account in the Book of Matthew is still widely debated, Van Ness told Patch that the story as it's told of life being filled with pain as much as promise strikes a chord with many who have felt deep sorrow of their own.

"I first encountered 'The Tidings' a few years ago when I was going through a really difficult period in my life, and it was the holidays," ensemble alto singer Tiffany Wilson said. "To be able to hear music that contemplated the hard times in life with the good times.

"I just felt like I could breathe again."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)