Monte Ingersoll and friends plan ‘Home for Christmas’ show Dec. 21

For Monte Ingersoll, Christmas music is about far more than a pretty melody or touching lyrics.

“There’s something about it that takes us back to the dreams about Christmas we had as kids,” the pastor and acclaimed musician said.

“When I think of Christmas music, I think of family and the joy of being together,” he said.

That will be a central theme during Ingersoll’s Home for Christmas concert on Dec. 21. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.

Ingersoll will take the stage, along with his children, his brother and musician friends from around the country and beyond.

“I think it will be very heartwarming, nostalgic — like an old Andy Williams Christmas experience,” Ingersoll said.

A Kennewick native who returned to the Tri-Cities several years ago, Ingersoll has recorded and performed for years — starting as a kid with a family band.

He’s also senior pastor of The Living Room Community Church in Kennewick. The Christmas concert will raise money for the church’s after-school arts program.

Ingersoll’s three adult children Scotty, Caleb and Randi — all musicians in their own rights — are set to take the stage with him.

His brother Tony also will perform, along with Tri-City singer Michelle Sanders and Barbara Kayaga, who hails from Uganda and wowed the crowd during Ingersoll’s 2010 show.

The band includes Keith Petersen on keyboards, guitarist Bob Somma, drummer Doug Norman and Brandon Shaw on bass.

Music director is Mark LeVang, recently part of Neil Diamond’s world tour.

Ingersoll said to expect Christmas classics, from Bing Crosby standards to favorites such as Mary, Did You Know? and O Holy Night.

And also a good time. He’s looking forward to it.

“Performing with family — there’s nothing like it,” he told the Herald. “I’ve been singing all over the country for years. But when I have the opportunity to sing with my family and with these people from all different places in my life, it’s a little bit of an out of body experience for me.”

Sponsors include Toyota of Tri-Cities, Innovative Mortgage, Watts Construction, American Family Insurance, Jo Brodzinski, Neal and Laura Lumper, Jim and Tressa Petersen, Margaret Bowen, Lampson Inc., Sterlings Restaurants, Ojeda and Windermere Real Estate/Tri-Cities in Kennewick.

Tickets start at $17. They’re available through the Toyota Center box office, Ticketmaster and The Living Room Community Church.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Monte Ingersoll and friends plan ‘Home for Christmas’ show Dec. 21."