The Sisters of Swing Ring in the Holidays at the Arsenal Center

The jazz trio The Sisters of Swing will bring their energy and vocal harmonies for the first time to the Arsenal Center on Monday, Dec. 19. The vocal group is known for performances of the Great American Songbook that are fresh, sophisticated, fun, and set to original swinging arrangements. 

Monday night's concert is part of the 'JAZZ at the Arsenal' concert series.  According to the Arsenal Center for the Arts website, the series "features a wide variety of jazz styles performed by the best jazz ensembles in the Boston area including many headed up by Berklee College’s world-renowned faculty."

The "Sisters" feature Berklee College of Music assistant chair of Ear Training, Roberta Radley, a seasoned vocalist and pianist, and a Watertown resident.

"This is the debut of our new holiday CD, Swing-a-Jing-a-Lingin', so we're very excited and hope to have a good turnout of family, friends, and 'new friends' of the Sisters," says Radley. "For me personally, I have arranged all of the music for the group. I love this 'behind the scenes' activity of creating the music and then seeing it come alive in performance."

Radley will perform alongside two Berklee graduates: Ruthie Ristich and April Hall. Ristich, a versatile singer, has harmonized with various types of vocal groups including barbershop quartets, concert chorales, and madrigal octets. Hall, a Florida native, has deep roots in southern gospel and blues which she combines with an urban soulfulness and sophistication to create an unmistakably authentic sound.

The trio will be backed by Bill Brinkley (Radley's husband) on guitar, Tom Hall on sax, and Marty Ballou on bass.

The audience is sure to hear many holiday favorites from The Sister of Swing's new CD.  As for Radley’s favorite songs, "That's a hard one, because there are so many holiday chestnuts, it was hard to select what we were going to choose. I love each tune in its own way... but if I had to choose, our arrangement of Jingle Bells, Christmas Time Is Here, and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town might be the top three."

Ultimately, Radley hopes to "give the gift of music" to her audience and add to their enjoyment of the holiday season.

"I hope people will leave the show humming a tune or two from what they heard, that is the biggest compliment," she says.

The show will be on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theater at the Arsenal Center for the Arts. Tickets are $18; $15 for students and Arsenal members, plus fees.  For tickets or for more information, call 617-923-8487 or click .