[box] Listen to The Spark every weekday at 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. on WITF 89.5 & 93.3. You can also stream WITF radio live on our website or ask your smart speaker to “Play WITF Radio.” [/box]

Local musicians, Kirstin Myers, oboe and English horn player, and Frances Drost, pianist, are a part of the two-person musical group called Double Keyed.

Early last month, they released their Christmas album called Midwinter’s Gift. Just eleven days after releasing their album, it charted at thirteen on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart.

When Drost and Myers got this news they said, they were in disbelief.

However, before this celebratory moment, Drost and Myers experienced challenges during COVID-19.

"All of my performances were canceled and it wasn't just the financial, it was the emotional realization that I felt like what I had been put here on earth to do was taken away from me," Drost said. "Out of it came some very beautiful things. So, I'm okay on the other side of it."

Drost also said, her husband encouraged her to continue creating music and she began practicing playing the piano for hours. She started doing house concerts and daily Facebook Live concerts for her fans and sold more merchandise than she did the year before.

Myers said, her music teaching career and will to be positive source for her students, dealing with the challenges of virtual learning, got her through the pandemic.

She also created a podcast, Life Between the Notes, with Morgan Davis, a flutist in Lancaster, to share the stories of local musicians.

Myers and Drost said, another beautiful thing that came out of the pandemic was their Christmas album, Midwinter's Gift.

"The feedback we're getting is, 'I just feel such peace when I listen.' Getting that from people has been so fulfilling and that's the idea, to help people through your music," Myers said. "Touching people, trying to bring down that stress level, trying to just improve the quality of of life. That's the idea of this album."

[box] Listen to The Spark every weekday at 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. on WITF 89.5 &amp; 93.3. You can also stream WITF radio live on our website or ask your smart speaker to “Play WITF Radio.” [/box]
Local musicians, Kirstin Myers, oboe and English horn player, and Frances Drost, pianist, are a part of the two-person musical group called Double Keyed.
Early last month, they released their Christmas album called Midwinter’s Gift. Just eleven days after releasing their album, it charted at thirteen on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart.
When Drost and Myers got this news they said, they were in disbelief.
However, before this celebratory moment, Drost and Myers experienced challenges during COVID-19.
"All of my performances were canceled and it wasn't just the financial, it was the emotional realization that I felt like what I had been put here on earth to do was taken away from me," Drost said. "Out of it came some very beautiful things. So, I'm okay on the other side of it."
Drost also said, her husband encouraged her to continue creating music and she began practicing playing the piano for hours. She started doing house concerts and daily Facebook Live concerts for her fans and sold more merchandise than she did the year before.
Myers said, her music teaching career and will to be positive source for her students, dealing with the challenges of virtual learning, got her through the pandemic.
She also created a podcast, Life Between the Notes, with Morgan Davis, a flutist in Lancaster, to share the stories of local musicians.
Myers and Drost said, another beautiful thing that came out of the pandemic was their Christmas album, Midwinter's Gift.
"The feedback we're getting is, 'I just feel such peace when I listen.' Getting that from people has been so fulfilling and that's the idea, to help people through your music," Myers said. "Touching people, trying to bring down that stress level, trying to just improve the quality of of life. That's the idea of this album."

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

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