Meet the Austin Carolers!
Meet the Carolers | Schedule | Our Repertoire | Sound Clips | Read About Us
We are four seasoned professionals who joined forces in 1995, because we love to sing – especially the songs of Christmas. Our repertoire includes both traditional carols and popular Christmas tunes, sung with great flair in unaccompanied style. Many of our arrangements have been created for us by Grammy-nominated arranger and composer Bill Ginn. We also write our own arrangements and lyrics, the latter reflecting life in Austin at Christmas time.
The Austin Carolers sing as we stroll. We have been sighted from the aisles of Central Market to the pathways of the Arboretum, singing as we go, children following behind. Of course, we do perform shows standing still, and we adapt our show to all occasions: private parties, corporate receptions, office Christmas parties or concerts. We can add instruments, such as piano, or turn the show into a singalong. The Carolers dress in the style of Charles Dickens.
The Austin Carolers’ soprano is Mady Kaye, known in Austin for her many years of fine jazz vocals. She has a wealth of choral experience, and plays guitar and flute as well. Mady has been creating arrangements for The Austin Carolers since the group’s inception, and writes
additional lyrics for many of the secular Christmas songs. In concert situations, she brings her guitar and accompanies the Carolers on favorite songs.
Libby Hart Barnes, alto, is a veteran of several show bands and pop vocal groups. Her warm and versatile voice is the cohesive force that binds the quartet. The Carolers do not exaggerate when we tell you that Libby is bursting with personality! She brings her incredible enthusiasm to all her endeavors, whether it’s as a “Foodie” at Central Market or as a singer in the Riverbend Chorale or with Sotto Voce, a select choir at Riverbend Church.
Paul Spikes is the tenor in The Austin Carolers. He serves as our guide to musical interpretation and has contributed several arrangements to our repertoire. When Paul is not singing, he is most often to be found behind his upright bass. He plays with various jazz bands around Austin, as well as with The Beat Divas and Mady Kaye’s ensembles. Paul is also a wonderful harmonica player. Though he rarely plays harp in public, he can be found on a variety of recordings.
The Carolers’ bass, Art Kidd, is the only living Yale graduate to decline an invitation to join the esteemed vocal group “The Whiffenpoofs.” Art has many years of singing experience, but he is best known in the Austin area as a fine drummer. He plays with so many bands that it’s hard to keep up with him! Another expression of Art’s musicianship is that he is an accomplished ukulele player. He plays the baritone ukulele with the Carolers on some of our swinging Christmas pop tunes.
The Austin Carolers: Straight Out of a Charles Dickens Novel
Rare Magazine, December 2008, article by Darcie Duttweiler
“The Austin Carolers, which consist of Mady Kaye, Libby Hart Barnes, Paul Spikes and Art Kidd, invited me to their first practice of the season (during one incredibly warm night, making Christmas feel even further away), and welcomed me… fussed over me, asking me questions about myself and demanding sweetly that I eat some chocolate cookies… they then sang me carols while dressed in Charles Dickens-esque caroling costumes…”
Read the full article in a PDF document.
Our Repertoire
This is just a partial repertoire! If you have a favorite song of Christmas just ask us if we know it.
- Angels We Have Heard on High
- Caroling Caroling
- Deck the Halls
- The First Noel
- Frosty the Snowman
- Fum, Fum, Fum
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Good King Wenceslas
- Hark the Herald Angels Sing
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Libby and Mady visit Bert and Ernie, Round Rock Premium Outlet Mall, Christmas 2009. (Photo by Art Kidd)
- The Holly and the Ivy
- I Saw Three Ships
- It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
- It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
- Jingle Bell Rock
- Jingle Bells
- Joy to the World
- Let It Snow
- Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
- O Christmas Tree
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- O Come, O Come Emmanuel
- O Holy Night
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- Over the River and Through the Woods
- Rocking
- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
- Santa Claus is Coming to Town
- Silent Night
- Sing Noel
- Sleigh Ride
- The Wassail Song
- We’ll Dress the House
- We Three Kings of Orient Are
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- What Child is This
- White Christmas
- Winter Wonderland
Listen to the Austin Carolers
We have recorded a five song demo CD. Listen to the MP3 sound clips below.
Check our performance schedule.
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Libby and Mady with Santa, Central Market 2003
Holiday Hugs