The Tenors’ Victor Micallef has plenty of sentiment when ti comes to one classic hymn, often associated with the holiday season.
“I grew up with ‘Ave Maria,’” recalls Micallef, about the song that will celebrate its 200th birthday next year. It’s also features on The Tenors’ new album “Christmas with the Tenors.”
“It’s a song that I grew up singing in the church, so it brings back a lot of fond memories for me.”
It’s a song that Micallef now looks forward to singing alongside his Tenors bandmates including Clifton Murray (who joined the group in 2009) as they embark on their North American Now & Forever Tour, their first road trip in the states since welcoming new members, Grammy- and Juno Award-nominee Mark Masri, and Alberto Urso, winner of Italy’s popular “Amici” TV competitions series.
“We’re finally coming back,” exclaims Micallef, who now serves as the longest-standing member of the group“And there’s so many fans there in the States, but particularly in the Chicago area.”
Indeed, the popularity of The Tenors exploded back in 2010, when the group, then known as The Canadian Tenors, were shocked to find the incomparable Celine Dion singing next to them during a surprise performance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
“That was a major moment for The Tenors,” Micallef remembers with a slight chuckle. “And from there, it all started.”
“Christmas with The Tenors” serves as The Tenors’ third Christmas album, following in the footsteps of 2009’s “The Perfect Gift” and 2017’s “Christmas Together,” but delivering a somewhat new sound.
“We wanted to have a different approach with this one,” says Micallef of the album that includes holiday favorites such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Jingle Bell Rock” along with the Irving Berlin classic “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.”
“We wanted to create something that was a little more family fun and light, just to show a different side of The Tenors. This album is a little more contemporary and a little more pop, if you will.”
This other sonic side to The Tenors can also be heard on their rendition of “Christmas Time is Here,” a holiday classic first made popular via its inclusion on the 1965 television special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and a song that Micallef grew up on in Toronto, Canada.
“I just love our harmonies on that one,” says Micallef, whose band’s repertoire includes songs in English, French, Spanish and Italian. “I think it’s just that warm blanket that everybody needs. When people hear it, it’s just so Christmas. You could almost feel the snow falling when you hear it.”
It’s these visual pictures that The Tenors plan to bring to the stage of Athenaeum Center on Nov. 15 during a show that will also include their No. 1 hit “Hallelujah.”
“It’s fun because we’re able to venture into different moments in our show, and it keeps it very live,” explains Micallef.
“There’s dancing and it’s very entertaining. There are moments where it pulls on the heartstrings. I think music has a healing quality and we always feel that our shows really bring community together. They [spread] this love of good messages and inclusivity.”
It’s a message that Micallef says the world has desperately needs to hear.
“It’s unfortunate that there are a lot of people who are suffering. So, I think this is a moment to just get away from it for a bit to celebrate humanity. We must be reminded that there is good and there is love. And if we spread that, hopefully we’ll get one step closer to realizing a world of peace.
“It seems so farfetched at the moment,” he says quietly. “But I think music does allow us to go there, at least for a couple of hours.”