Fairbury Methodist hosts Christmas Concert with a little twist

FAIRBURY, Neb. -- Fairbury Methodist Church held a Christmas Concert Wednesday featuring Kevin and Heidi Cheng, but it had a little twist to it. 

The Chengs added a country aspect to their Christmas songs, mixing a few songs together like A Little Town of Bethlehem and Turkey in the Straw. They feel as though the audience loved the added country aspect as a result. 

“One of the things that we really felt like, this year, that we wanted to do is to mix country culture with the Christmas program; and so, we somehow figured out some of those country tunes that actually fit in the Christmas carols really well,” said Kevin Cheng, the pianist in the performance. “Our audience really liked it because they can identify with it.”

The Chengs had traveled around to multiple different small towns in Nebraska to play Christmas carols, which ultimately brought them to Fairbury, too. 

“We love small towns and, also, we feel like people in small towns don’t always have access to the fine arts like they would want to and so we really enjoy bringing that aspect of it as well,” said Heidi Cheng, the violinist in the performance.

Kevin Cheng is a six-time Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition winner, but decided to use his talents to play for people in assisted living and smaller towns. 

“It was after that big competition in Chicago that I thought, ‘I think I need to start going to different places where people have no access to good classical music’,” said Kevin Cheng. “So, that’s how we started going to a lot of smaller towns and playing classical music but as time went on, we realized that people wanted a little bit of something that they can identify and so we do a mix between classical and folk songs.”

The Chengs feel as though they receive a greater appreciation for their music in smaller towns, especially when they add country to it.

“I think we have received greater appreciation in some of these rural areas because they don’t have a chance to go, like in Lincoln, to a really nice orchestra concert or just a really nice concert,” said Heidi Cheng.

The Chengs said they are going to teach at a small college in Wyoming next year, but said they will be back in Fairbury and playing again in 2024.