The first solo Christmas release from Christian music pioneer and renowned vocalist Matthew Ward is slated to bow this month.
Christmas With Matthew Ward features 11 classic selections, including “O Holy Night,” “Angels We Have Heard On High,” “Carol Of The Bells,” “In The Bleak Midwinter” and “The First Noel,” among others, as well as the original song, “Glory To The King.”
“For this project, I specifically chose classic songs that were special to me, songs about the birth of Christ and what His coming means to us,“ says Ward. “I wanted it to be a record that could feasibly be enjoyed year-round because of its theological depth and timeless truths.”
“Christmas music has always held a special place in my heart because it opened my eyes to the world of music in a whole new way,” Ward continues. “My earliest memory of Christmas music was walking down by the river with my sister as she taught me the counterpoint melody to ‘Angels We Have Heard On High.’ It was my first real experience discovering how harmony works and also one of my fondest memories of Christmas music.”
Christmas With Matthew Ward will be available through www.matthewward.com, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Children’s HopeChest, an international ministry devoted to orphan care. Ward and his family have been deeply committed to the work of Children’s HopeChest for more than 10 years.
“Deuteronomy 24:19 says, ‘When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.’ (NIV) My wife and I realized we had never really set a portion of our field aside in this way, so we decided this record would benefit the orphans helped by the ministry of Children’s HopeChest.”
Ward and two of his sisters comprised the seminal Christian group, The 2nd Chapter of Acts. The GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame members recorded 16 albums together over the course of nearly two decades and made popular such signature titles as “Easter Song” and “Mansion Builder,” among others.
