Sarah Brightman has sold more than 30 million albums and has a vocal range that exceeds three octaves. She is reportedly the only artist to have topped Billboard’s Dance, Classical and Classical Crossover charts at the same time, with her 2003 album “Harem.” Brightman is coming to Orpheum Theater to help kick off the holiday season Dec. 1 with her show A Christmas Concert. Omaha Magazine spoke to her via Zoom.
Brightman said her show—an elegant affair of Christmas songs, elaborate costumes and beautiful lighting performed in conjunction with a choir and an orchestra—will get people into the Christmas spirit.
“I’ve threaded a lot of pieces together, which all can sort of have the feeling of a Christmas spirit,” she said. While attendees can expect to hear beloved classics such as “Silent Night” and fun songs—Brightman recorded “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day” on her “A Winter Symphony” album—she said she took care to be mindful that the holidays aren’t always a happy time for everyone.
“I always feel with with Christmas, and especially with the concert, you have a responsibility,” Brightman said. “Because…it’s an emotional time for people. Christmastime, whether it be negative or positive, it conjures up all these emotions. And it’s the closing of the year as well. So I wanted to do a concert. I’m responsible for the music journey I take people on for those two hours.”
Brightman hopes that everyone is able to be full transported into the world of her music.
If her name sounds familiar, you might realize her from the theater world—she happened to originate the role of Christine Daae in a musical titled “The Phantom of the Opera.” Fans of that show won’t be disappointed.
“‘Phantom of the Opera,’ which I do sing in this concert, isn’t a Christmas song, but at the same time, Phantom is definitely a show that you would go and see, for example, at in the holidays with your family,” Brightman said. “It has that kind of mystical spirit about it, which which you can incorporate into a show like this.”
Brightman left the world of musical theater in 1989 to pursue her highly successful solo career, which has included singing for the closing ceremonies of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and at the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, as well as other prominent events such as “Concert for Diana” in July 2007.
Brightman returned to musical theater this past May for the first time in more than three decades, performing the role of Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard” in Australia. She’s set to reprise the role in February 2025 in Singapore.
Brightman noted some differences in the theater world since the late 1980s. “The production I did, it was actually rather wonderful because it still stayed pretty traditional,” she said. “But at the same time it used all the modern technology to make the show easier to be within. Sound is better. Lighting was better. Dancers are more trained, singers are more trained. So it’s a very, different animal to what I used to work in many years ago, and I really, I have to say, I really enjoyed it.”
No matter whether one knows Brightman from her stage performances, her recordings, or her concert, those attending the show Sunday night will know Brightman as a soprano who can dazzle them with a show worthy of the Christmas season.
“There’s something in it for everybody,” Brightman said. “It’s a very beautiful couple of hours for people.”
Sarah Brightman, A Christmas Concert, will be at Orpheum Theater at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1. Tickets range from $59-$149, with premium upgrades available, and can be purchased at https://ticketomaha.com/Productions/sarah-brightman
