Over eight years ago I started planning my trip to Emerald City—the annual Portraits of White Concert. Not only did I have to travel the yellow brick road, I feel like I've had to BUILD the road. Though it's been extremely satisfying to the artist in me, I'll confess it's taken a bit longer and has been harder than I imagined.
In order to keep my feet firmly planted on the path I put my plans up on my wall to help me stay organized. Details, details, details! A fan who visited my studio wanted to know more about my wall. It's my yellow brick road. It's my brain—on paper.
On this particular day, I was sitting in my studio facing the wall. I wasn't alone. I had invited someone [Sharon] over to look at it with me and help me figure out how to actually DO all that's on the wall. She is a new acquaintance in my life as a result of an event where I was the performer earlier this spring. From the moment I met her and heard her career story, I could tell she had some wisdom that I could benefit from. After sitting down to have coffee with her, I asked her if she'd mentor me. Fortunately, she immediately said yes!
Sitting in my studio, we enjoyed a root beer float together as I shared the history of Portraits of White and my current challenges with Covid and changes in my own energy level. I think we've all felt the effects of the pandemic and how it has changed our lives.
After more than an hour of conversation, her conclusion was clear. She said, "You need to hire someone. The business woman in you is competing with the artist in you. We need to free up the artist so you can BE the artist."
The Wall
"What position would I need to hire, IF I could hire someone?" I asked in response to Sharon's observation.
"A Manager—or a Communications/Marketing Manager."
I'm an independent musician surfing the waves of Covid and I just didn't see how this could be possible. We put together one amazing Christmas show, but someone has to creatively and consistently tell people about it. One of the most challenging aspects for me is the marketing category, for sure. I juggle the fundraising, music arranging, the hiring of players, as well as overseeing the managing of sound, lighting and set design. At the end of long days, it can be hard to think about marketing.
Thankfully, I have wonderful help from a volunteer assistant, Cheryl Kennedy, in many different areas. Having Cheryl in my life is like having a spreadsheet with a personality. She helps to organize my chaos as she manages volunteer coordination, ticket sales, feeding the musicians, seating charts, mailings and anything else I can give her to do.
One of best things that came out of that meeting with Sharon is that I've been able to come up with my own creative marketing plan. Part of that plan is to create the weekly videos on YouTube, this blog and weekly podcast episodes on the Brand New Me podcast. On the podcast, I share excerpts from my journal. There are always emotions to sort through when you follow the yellow brick road toward your dream and the podcast shares my travels on an emotional level.
These are all part of the bricks that make up the yellow brick road. By the time we get to December, you'll feel like you're on the stage with me because you've been on the road with me.
Frances Drost song ‘Set of Wheels’ helps finance new engine for Newville firefighters
by Steve Kennedy
A Newville-area singer-songwriter is using her talents to raise funds for a community group that responded in her family’s hour of need 35 years ago. In 1986, when Frances Drost was 20, the barn on her family’s farm caught fire. Newville’s Friendship Hose Co. No. 1 responded to the blaze. Now, Drost will donate part of her winnings from the Global Rising Song Contest, a crowdfunding songwriting competition, toward the company’s purchase of a new fire engine. In the contest, aspiring singer-songwriters submit a video of their original song, and winners are selected by music industry judges and fan votes.
Drost, best known throughout south central Pennsylvania for her annual Portraits of White Christmas concert, submitted her song “Set of Wheels” to Super Round 2 of the competition, in which it will compete against winners of the past eight rounds. Fans can vote at globalrisingsong.com by making a donation of $1 or more, with funds intended to sustain the songwriters in their musical careers. Drost won the Fan Favorite award in a previous round with her song “Inside Things” and donated $1,500 to the Big Spring Area Food Bank.
“It will be a wonderful way to pay tribute to our local fire company, especially since I’m a Newville native whose family needed their services,” Drost says. “It would only be fitting if my song ‘Set of Wheels’ could help our firefighters get a new ‘set of wheels.’ ” Friendship Hose Co. is purchasing a new $713,000 rescue unit to replace a 29-year-old vehicle. Drost, who attended kindergarten in the building that is now the Newville firehouse, hopes to be able to donate at least $2,500 to the fire company in this round of the contest.
“This is a great support for us, as well as for Frances,” says Bradley Stouffer, fire chief at Friendship Hose Co. No. 1. “This is something that will benefit the fire company and the Newville community.”
Drost recounts another connection between the barn fire and her singing career: “One day as I was standing on the cement wall that was the entrance to what had been the barn, I began singing. I had my boombox with me and a cassette sound track of Sandi Patty’s beautiful arrangement of ‘A Mighty Fortress.’ I sang as loud as I could—my voice singing out over the charred remains. As I sang the song that day, I had a strange sensation that someday I’d stand in front of crowds of people and sing. In a moment, the sensation passed and I finished the song.”
Vote for Frances' song "Set of Wheels" by going to GlobalRisingSong.com. Click on the Cast Vote button under Set of Wheels and vote by Sunday, August 8, 9:00 CT.
"I love Christmas! It's my favorite time of the year."
I was sitting in the audience watching my favorite music artist when he said this from stage. I've been a life-time fan of his music and I still AM! But a shadow cast itself over me in that moment. Disconnect.
I personally used to really struggle with Christmas. In fact, as a young woman, I used to dread it. If you've been reading my blog, you probably know that it took me years to figure out why.
I sat in my seat processing my reaction to his statement. I was sorry to not have grown up sharing this artist's sentiment. It somehow detached me from him. Fortunately, before I let myself feel too sad and isolated, his next statement rescued me from my thoughts that were about to get overly analytical.
"But I know that not everyone feels that way."
Whew....I was relieved.
"Perhaps you feel like you need a miracle tonight." He touched the piano keys and started to sing—a beautiful song about miracles. It was just the song for the moment. I felt hope. I started to reconnect with him. He had won my heart.
He didn't apologize for his love for Christmas, yet he took a moment to acknowledge that others might not share his view. He created a "moment" for me that I'll never forget. And that's the kind of moments that I love about concerts. That's what makes a concert feel unique to me.
So when a fan of my own Christmas show asked, "How do you make the show personal? What is your thought process?" I had to first think about shows I've attended that have felt "personal" to me. What were the elements that made it feel that way?
After making some notes in my journal, I realized that the connecting elements always took me beyond the music. There was always a sense of getting to know the artist. I don't want to just hear their music. I want my soul to connect with their soul.
I don't know the "thought process" of other musicians and how they create their shows, but here's how I approach mine....
Since I personally create the Portraits of White show from a blank canvas every year, that in itself makes it a very personal show. Like building a house, I lay the foundation, choose the songs, the players, the moments and then I create lots of blueprints for how each piece of the show will look.
Once those plans are firmly in place, I can start practicing the show musically and creatively. I look for places to insert my own personality into the show, just like you'd choose your own paint colors and furniture for a house you designed.
Every great show includes moments that fit into various categories: intro, musical, fun, message, different, GREAT music, pin-drop, closing, etc....you get the idea. I try to make sure I've chosen music that prescribes moments just by the nature of the song itself. From there, I let creativity flow.
As I plan the show, I also allow for spontaneity—which means I take what happens in the moment and go with it. This started mainly because the strangest things would happen to me on stage and instead of getting uptight about it, I would just respond in a quirky kind of way. I found that people respond to my personality best when I am spontaneous.
Over the years, I've started looking for ways, even in conversation off the stage, to be fun and engaging. It's good practice for when I'm on stage. I also love to find ways to interact with the other players on stage, bringing their personality into the show. This guarantees that even if you attended all of the shows in one weekend, you'd get a different experience every time!
My favorite concerts have been the ones where I felt like I got to know the artist—not just musically, but personally. I've been to shows where the music production was incredible, but I never got a glimpse into WHO the artist really is.
I want my show to be more of a unique experience so I choose music that moves me and then I make it my own and insert my own personality into it. I also look for places to make the stories and songs more personal and real to those who are listening. I want people to enjoy a professionally produced show yet feel as if they've had coffee with me in my living room.
As Tom Jackson says in his book, Live Music Method, "I [the audience] want to be led by someone who is confident, in control and is taking me somewhere interesting. I want them to have a charisma and a compelling attractiveness that inspires."
"Why did you start the show?" [Portraits of White]
"You said you want it to be a personal experience. Why does that matter to you?"
These two questions from a fan of Portraits of White are probably the most special to me of all the questions I've been asked.
Beyond the fancy dresses, wonderful musicians, spotlights and set design, there IS a very passionate longing in my heart when it comes to this beloved Christmas show. Basically...
How we experience Christmas matters to me. We all have a longing to find our "home," especially during the holidays.
"No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home." — L. Frank Baum (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
For years, I struggled with the holidays, emotionally. Thankfully, I had a physical home, but there was a sadness that seemed to plague me at Christmas.
In fact, I almost gave up on Christmas. Frankly, I secretly dreaded the holidays. Fortunately, Christmas didn’t give up on me. The more I share my own story, the more I seem to encounter others who have felt this way too…or perhaps, still do. My solution to this “problem” was to create a grand Christmas concert experience where people could come together and enjoy a professional show with a home-town feel.
Portraits of White had its debut in 2014 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with a SOLD OUT show. It has become a holiday favorite for many people who return every year for another dose of a meaningful musical experience.
One of the big reasons I had such an aversion to Christmas was because as a young girl, our family tragically lost two brothers and I never learned how to process the grief our family experienced. It always seemed especially tough at Christmas.
My brother, Nathan, drowned in our farm pond a few days after his second birthday, and another brother, Doug, (age 26) was killed in a tractor accident on a farm where he worked. He had a wife, two young daughters and three younger siblings. I was seven when the Pastor came to our farmhouse to tell my mother she lost her first-born son. That front-porch scene is forever etched in my mind.
As I got older, my struggle with sadness during the holidays only grew stronger. So in 1999, I decided to “skip Christmas” and ask God to reveal why I had such a hard time with the holiday season. Where was this “joy” the little baby in a manger was supposed to bring?
Months of quiet reflection that year began to reveal deep-seated, unprocessed grief. As I unwrapped this concealed package of heaviness, I was surprised to discover how far down I could stuff something in my little soul only to have it show up later in life in seemingly unrelated ways. But grief is a root that produces shoots of unwanted growth in so many areas if left unattended.
Through tears, quietness, prayer, and a re-examining of the original Nativity story, I started a healing journey. I found unusual solace in the fact that there were threads of sorrow in the story of the Christ-child. I had never noticed that until I viewed it through my own window of sadness. Once I identified the grief, then it seemed that joy was able to start growing, even if it was as slow as an oak tree.
As a songwriter, I guess it’s a natural progression to write songs as you process life (and death). So I started writing songs about my journey around the holidays and grief. Later, the story turned into an album—an audio journal of sorts. On the flip side of sadness, I also have a quirky side and a child-like love for snow that shows up in my songwriting. So the title track of my Christmas album, Portraits of White, seemed like the best title for my thoughts reflecting the winter seasons of my life, both the sad and the fun.
In fact, I wrote the title track while I was driving to Shippensburg, PA on Route 997 (yes, I do write while I drive—oops!) The fluffy snow was blowing and drifting across the road and painting “portraits of white” throughout the Cumberland Valley. The playful song reflects my life-time fascination with snow. Just like the dormant seeds that sprout after the blanket of cold winter snow has lifted, life sprung from the long, hard winter of my disenchantment with Christmas, and I found hope. I think this might also be why I loved snow. It always turned the dark barren winters into portraits of white…long before it was ever a song title in my mind.
With a vision to share my story and music with others who may have been touched by loss, I stepped out to follow my dream of putting together a professional concert each December. This year will be the eighth year for this BIG dream and every year is creatively different! In 2020, I had to get REAL creative when we all had to stay home. So I created a DVD and called it Portraits of White—At Home.
Along with other professional musicians from the South Central Pennsylvania region, we always combine humor, stories and inspiring music to offer hope during the holidays. This event has become a highlight of the Christmas season for many people.
Every year, the creative team I put together makes a special effort to ensure that the music for Portraits of White is unique and entertaining; working hard to maintain the nostalgic feel of Christmas while presenting music in a unique way that is new and creative but still leaves you with the warm, fuzzy Christmas feeling you expect during the holidays.
I love offering hope over the holidays by sharing stories, humor and great music. This concert contains all of those elements and more!
It's 2013 and I am sitting in the beautiful American Music Theatre in the heart of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, watching a Christmas show with a group of seniors (50 and up) from my church. I am serving as the Director of Worship and somehow I am lucky enough to have been the recipient of a complimentary ticket at the last minute. This was a perk I didn't see coming when I said yes to the job.
Normally, I spend my days at the church trying to plan a meaningful worship service, so taking a day trip on a fancy coach bus and eating a scrumptious Lancaster County meal with the church people I serve only adds to the pleasure of the trip. The Christmas show is the perfect ending to a wonderful day.
As the show finishes, I sit in my seat, in a state of shock. We didn't go to see this kind of thing when I was growing up, so I am pretty mesmerized by the whole production; from the set to the musicians, lighting and sound. I love it all!
"THIS is what I want my Christmas show to be like. A professional show, with a personal touch." Did I just say that out loud? I exit the building with the rest of our group and I am completely energized. My mind is racing with ideas. My body is riding home on the coach bus, but my brain is somewhere else...scheming about how to do my own show.
I can't help it. I seem to have been born with the ability to come up with tornadic ideas. The kind that carry my brain off to a fantasy land while the rest of my household lives in a perpetual state of stress because of it. Just ask my cats...and my husband.
A tornado can be a violent outburst of emotion or activity like the planning of a Christmas show not just a violent rotating column of air, as in a potentially violent and destructive system of atmospheric circulation, characterized by a long, funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground and made visible by condensation and debris. Try saying that sentence three times real fast!
In the Wizard of Oz, it was a tornado that swept Dorothy (and her house) off her feet. When the twister stopped twisting and dropped her off in a new land, she thought she was over the rainbow. Dorothy sensed she wasn't in Kansas anymore. She was hoping for a place where all of her dreams really would come true and where she could be free of trouble. Boy, was she ever in for a surprise. The house dropping on the witch was just the beginning.
I too was in for a whirlwind of a journey when I decided to turn my Portraits of White album into a show. I thought I was headed for a land of bliss and fantasy (well, almost.) It seemed like such a great idea!
However, I had a lot to learn. The reality of this learning curve struck me as soon as the conductor started explaining all that I'd need to do JUST to have the music ready for an orchestra. Oops.
In a nutshell, all I ever wanted to do was create an experience that would sweep people off their feet and carry them to a land without troubles...at least for one weekend in December. A professional show with a personal touch. In 2014, I set out to make the first one happen.
Portraits of White 2014
I knew I was accomplishing my mission when I started hearing people say they felt as if they were simultaneously attending a professional production and sitting in my living room having coffee with me. That's exactly what I wanted people to experience.
So this seems like a good place in the story to address the next question on the list from someone who asked, "What do I tell other people when they want to know what Portraits of White is?"
Here is a collection of responses we've received from people who were asked how they would describe the show...
“It blew me away.”
“Portraits of White is a show that brings together a world-class entertainer and orchestra to tell a story of how one person came to love “the Heart of Christmas” again.”
“If a good show was a good meal, Portraits of White would be Thanksgiving.”
“I laughed, I cried, I sang, then I left wanting more!”
“A refreshing 2 1/2 hour escape!!”
“Carefully crafted, from the heart, warm and fuzzy, and entertaining…not your typical Christmas show.”
“Breathtaking.”
“Portraits of White will make you look at winter in a totally different way! Bring it on!”
“Equates to any professional show I have seen in New York, Gatlinburg and Dollywood at Christmas. Close to home and much cheaper.”
“A true work of art for any music lover.”
“No special effects needed.”
“A different Christmas experience. Not a Broadway production with the same thing over and over.”
“Christmas came to life at the concert today! Frances was full of the joy of the season without the artificial syrupy sweetness the world markets. We could sit back, smile, and enjoy the incredible musicianship of all the participants.”
“This concert will overflow your Christmas soul. Frances Drost is so personable and down to earth. She has a way of making you feel as though she’s one of your best friends. But on the other side of that, her talent is amazing and unbelievable. You will be so glad you attended and you will make mental plans already to attend next year.”
“What a variety of music and musicians! I left everything else outside and was just present with Frances and the performances. I left feeling filled!”
“It was a magical experience that celebrated Christmas with creativity. It was nice to attend a concert that wasn’t the traditional.”
“This show was a delightful experience for both eyes and ears, but the emotional and spiritual impact was phenomenal!”
“In the midst of a beautiful but frequently hectic season Portraits of White is like coming inside from the cold, and sitting down by a fire with a mug of hot cocoa, a cozy blanket and your best friend to enjoy it with.”
“Professional production with a personal touch.”
“The show is a very real testimony of the performer’s background and their lives shared with the audience. Frances never fails to inspire and encourage the dreams of others and age incorporates all types of musicians, singers, and different backgrounds to perform. I love the openness and honesty of Frances and that she is not afraid to share the good and bad with others, which speaks to me very personally and I so appreciate this!”
“Special, different from the run of the mill holiday shows.”
“A breath of fresh air. Down to earth.”
“It’s like nothing else you have seen before. You will come away wanting more.”
“A beautiful way to enhance your Christmas celebration. It’s been a part of ours for four years.”
“It will inspire you, entertain you, even bring peace. You will go away feeling better than you came.”
“One of the best holiday concerts I have ever attended.”
“Portraits of White is delightful! Great musicians leave you well entertained with their skill. Yet I find I see beyond the musicality into the true meaning of Christmas, of Christ’s birth and the reality of his love that can be afforded to those around us at Christmas time and throughout the year. Lay aside the hustle and bustle to engage your heart at Christmas.”
“A variety of musical performances by many talented artists. It never got boring!”
“This show is a wonderful way to find your Christmas heart! Francis finds a way to touch each person there and create a special aura of joy and wonder. Part of our new Christmas traditions!!”
“If you enjoy Christmas music, and are a Christmas addict like I am, I mean… everything about it, You must see Portraits of White!”
“It’s truly a worship experience with a high degree of professionalism and a home town feel.”
“It was entertaining and warmed my heart. I felt like I was part of the show.”
“Highly entertaining, top-shelf musicianship, enough feel-good feelings to go around twice.”
“This concert gives you a reason to go home and continue to get ready for the celebration of Christmas!!”
“We are grateful for the performance that touched our hearts and minds and created a sacred pause during Advent.”
“This concert is a snowy wonderland way to experience the Christmas Season. It is not Christmas without Portraits Of White.”
“The atmosphere of the community of the musicians, recognizing them, featuring them and their talents – for me it made everyone feel like a “village” experience.”
“I felt cared for from the moment I walked in the door.”
“A wonderful performance perfectly constructed to lift up a weary spirit and remind us of the real reason for the season.”
“If you’re tempted to give up on Christmas, this concert will restore your joy!”
“A non-stop blitzkrieg of Christmas blessings.”
“It is a wonderful experience of music, some familiar Christmas music, some original to Frances, wonderful professional arrangements of Christmas music – special to Frances’s concert – so that one is consistently hearing new music. I like the acoustic direction this year’s concert took – so much intimacy with music. So wonderful to have the quality of professional musicians as well as feeling like we’re getting to know Frances more.”
“If you imagine that you are ‘Christmas prepared’ you aren’t until you experience Portraits of White. I doubled my guests this year and hope to double them again next year! Totally unique Christmas experience.”
“Portraits of White has become a holiday staple for me. I have found it to be a wonderful way to curtail the chaos of Christmas for an evening and focus my heart on the true beauty of the season. In addition, the show is such an amazing showcase of local talent. Frances makes everyone a star for the night! And because she so artfully draws attention to the giftedness of herself and others, she is able to weave the wonder of heaven into a rockin’ holiday show without ever making it awkward or obnoxious.”
“The decorations, flow, talent, humor, etc. all hit just the right notes! This was my first Portraits of White concert and I have already noted my calendar for next fall to order tickets.”
“Nothing on earth is perfect, but this concert comes close to attaining the label!”
“The entire show just spoke to my heart and moved me like no other service or show.”
“Portraits of White is the quintessential Christmas music performance, with beautiful, harmonic vocals surrounded by the ultimate orchestra and conductor, Frances shines brightly!”
“This show is fantastic! High-quality production and AMAZING regional and national talent! Attend once and you will want to make it an annual tradition!”
“It touched my heart and reminded me of why this season is so magical.”
“An awesome night of entertainment. From laughing to crying and feeling all warm inside. It’s worth it.”
“This show has become the highlight of the Christmas season for me. Frances Drost is so talented yet down to earth that she warms your heart with both her singing and piano playing as well as sharing her life’s ups and downs.”
“Professional quality show with a nice mix of Christmas music performed by accomplished musicians. The star of the show is Frances Drost, who has worked hard to bring her childhood dream come true to offer a Christmas program that is family friendly, fun and inspirational. From the lovely stage set to the talented orchestra, to the wit and humor from Frances, you won’t go away disappointed.”
“Portraits of White is an amazing show with an extraordinary performance that is sure to get the audience into the holiday spirit. In my opinion, the quality of the musicians is on a scale comparable to any professionally done show performed by well know musicians in the business. It is a show well worth attending!”
“This is THE concert to usher in the Christmas holiday season. Frances is so talented, and she mixes her own originals with classics! There are fantastic soloists and singers. It is top notch! Frances is so funny, yet she mixes in a vulnerability that makes her so real and makes it ok to mix sad with joy.”
It all starts with a dream, as some say. Nashville says it all starts with a song. Either way, if it's a dream, you have to get out of bed and get dressed. If it's a song, you have to get out your pencil and paper, or at least your recorder. Then you might want to play it for other people, put it on an album, put it out on iTunes. You can't just lay around and "think" about these things.
Every year I dream of doing aChristmas show, and beginning in January, I know that December is coming and my show won't happen with my head on a pillow dreaming about it. I can hear Auntie Em telling Dorothy "there's work to be done."
One element of planning a show is deciding how to tell other people about it. You can't just hope that people will show up. "If you build it" a few might come, but just building it isn't enough.
One day as I was brainstorming on the phone with a coach about all that there is to do, including the marketing, he said, "Why don't you bring your audience in on the planning of the show. Give them a peek into the planning part."
So I got to thinking; I wonder what my audience would want to know about planning a Christmas show. Instead of me trying to guess, why don't I just ask them? I did and people responded.
Sorting through the questions, one in particular, catches my eye. I squirm in my office chair. I always struggle when someone asks this question: "What is your favorite song on the album?"
The problem is, it's hard to pick one favorite. Songs are three-minute audio journals of my life. Each song has a unique significance and is part of the whole.
Though the question wasn't specifically about the show, it's a good question because the show actually started with a song. Ok, so Nashville was right. It really does start with a song.
It was a wintery January morning in 2000 and I was on my way to a local recording studio to record my first album. The snow was blowing and drifting across Route 696 in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania—a scenic road between two mountain ranges. I probably shouldn't have been driving.
But I was in my element...SNOW!
The first line said it all...
Whispery winds of winter white
The blizzard-like winds seemed to applaud my bravery for driving in these conditions...
Dancing across the starlit night
Twirling and swirling and sweeping the lane
Whisking the blues of the season away
These are the portraits of white
I knew it [the song] was special the day I wrote it. I could hear the polished production of it in my head. Even though it would be years before I'd actually record it, I knew it would sound Enya-esque. I had just encountered the music of Enya, and her stacked vocal approach resonated with me. Every time I'd listen to her, I wanted to sit down and write music.
Portraits of White Album 2013
Years later, when I decided to record a Christmas/Winter album this song was a definite favorite. I learned to respect Enya's music all the more during the process of recording. It's not easy to stack vocals. You must follow every single intonation and nuanced note of the original take each time you sing a new take. For some reason, I really enjoyed the challenge of this style of recording.
When it came time to choose a title for the Christmas album, Portraits of White felt the most magical. Portraits of White, both the song and the title would become the inspiration for my holiday show. If that makes it my favorite song on the album, then so be it.
