What does the holiday season mean to you? Maybe it means breaking out the hot cocoa, or hearing that one Mariah Carey song in every single store. Or perhaps, the holiday season means cozying up with a blanket and the great holiday music on 99.5 WCRB!
For my colleague Phil Jones, the holiday season means apple cinnamon french toast. For Kendall Todd, it means traveling across the U.S. to spend time with family. And for me, it means Hallmark movies.
I was recently exploring the festive offerings of Hallmark’s all-new streaming service, and discovered a whole collection of Christmas movies centered around classical music! And reader, I watched all of them. Here are five classically-inclined Hallmark movies that are worth checking out:
The Christmas Bow (2020)
“When an accident puts her music dreams on hold, a gifted violinist reconnects with an old family friend who helps her heal and find love during the holidays.”
Beyond the setting, music, love story, and the brilliant talents of James Saito, what I love about this movie is that the lead actress is actually a classical violinist! And in fact, this story was inspired by Lucia Micarelli’s real-life experience of recovering from an injury that kept her from playing. It's a sweet movie with good acting, some serious tear-jerker scenes, and great playing.
Christmas in My Heart (2021)
“Violinist Beth returns home after the recent death of her mother and tutors the daughter of a reclusive country music star to prepare her for the upcoming holiday concert.”
This movie took me by surprise. Firstly, our love story pits a classical musician against a country music star (how, oh how, will they ever get along??). Secondly, what starts as a fluffy romance transforms halfway through into a story exploring the importance of Black representation in classical music. While our lead actress does not actually play the violin, our lead actor does actually play the guitar AND sing! As a fan of Luke McFarlane and Sheryl Lee Ralph, I couldn’t miss this one.
Chateau Christmas (2019)
“World-famous pianist Margot returns to Chateau Neuhaus for Christmas. While there she reunites with her ex-boyfriend Jackson, who convinces her to headline their annual Christmas Concert.”
More Luke McFarlane! Not only does he sing and play guitar, but he also plays the cello. In this film, he plays a music teacher at a local college, vying for the competitive role of department chair. Merritt Patterson plays a classical pianist who's questioning her life choices after receiving a pretty savage review of her last concert. And the Chateau Neuhaus’s star singer gets laryngitis before the big Christmas Concert... the kind of thing that happens in real life more often than you might think!
Write Before Christmas (2019)
“Jessica sends Christmas cards to five people who have greatly impacted her life, including the aunt who raised her, her brother, an aging popstar, the music teacher that inspired her, and her friend that always tells the truth.”
I think I speak for all of us here at WCRB when I say that music teachers are superheroes. My music teachers inspired me, pushed me, and championed me throughout my non-musical endeavors as well as my musical ones. This movie is a love letter to the power of music, classical and nonclassical. And our lead actress does indeed play the cello in this movie!
Christmas in Vienna (2020)
“Jess, a concert violinist whose heart just isn't in it anymore, goes to Vienna for a performance. While there, she finds the inspiration she has been missing, and a new love.”
What’s more classical than Vienna? This movie feels like a tour of “The City of Music.” There’s shots of the Mozart Monument, Mozarthaus Vienna, St. Stephen's Cathedral, and the Vienna State Opera. It does a great job of selling how magical Christmas in Vienna must feel. That being said, this movie is a lot goofier than the others on this list. The lines, “Philadelphia is like the Vienna of the U.S,” and “Euro for your thoughts?” have stuck with me since my initial watch.
Happy watching, and happy holidays!
