Mannheim Steamroller bringing ‘Christmas’ to Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids

When Roxanne Layton won tickets to see Mannheim Steamroller in Boston a quarter of a century ago, courtesy of a radio contest, the classical musician just expected to catch a concert.

However, she met founder and leader Chip Davis post-show. Since both play percussion and the recorder, they talked shop and Layton slipped Davis a tape from her days with the New England Conservatory. He was impressed. The following day, Davis invited Layton to play on the next Mannheim Steamroller album, “Music for Parties."

"My life changed dramatically in the span of 24 hours," Layton said while calling from Columbus, Ohio. "Chip wanted me to work on some baroque sonatas for the album, and it worked out so well. It was kismet."

Within five years, Davis asked Layton to be a full-fledged member of Mannheim Steamroller, which includes touring.

"I absolutely love it," she said. "I'm part of this beautiful musical family. We celebrate the holidays together."

However, last year Layton missed out on the concerts and interaction with the tight-knit group, because of the pandemic.

"I got to see my family for Christmas and Thanksgiving last year for the first time in ages, but there was a void," Layton said. "I missed everyone. We're quite a tribe, 22 people, traveling from place to place.

“The thing I've noticed is that everyone is hungry for Christmas this year after what we went through in 2020."

The Mannheim Steamroller tour will help sate those craving holiday cheer. The ensemble is performing Dec. 15 and 16 at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls, and Dec. 17 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids.

Mannheim Steamroller, which crafted its first holiday disc, "Mannheim Steamroller Christmas," 37 years ago, has sold more than 40 million copies of its holiday albums. That's more than Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi or Billy Joel over the same period.

The niche marketing approach works, more than 80 percent of Mannheim Steamroller's record sales are Christmas albums. Its fan base is incredibly wide, ranging from children to college students to octogenarians.

"It really is amazing how diverse our audience is," Layton said. "I love that about Mannheim."

Expect to experience the Mannheim 1984 holiday debut album, "Christmas," in its entirety, featuring such classics as "Deck the Halls," "We Three Kings" and "Good King Wenceslas," and of course, the gorgeous arrangement of “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”).

"That album has been remastered and reprinted on vinyl," Layton said. "We're also promoting our new album, "Exotic Spaces."

The latest Mannheim release is an atmospheric collection of New Age cuts written by Davis. So it's not all about Christmas for Mannheim Steamroller. The group enjoys some success with its "Fresh Aire" series, which combines baroque classical and light jazz styles. Mannheim Steamroller, which took its name from a 19th-century German musical technique, has a hard-core base of followers who will purchase any of its sonic output.

But the majority of fans are into the group's Christmas fare.

"There is much to Mannheim Steamroller," Layton said. "There's the Fresh Aire series and then there is the Christmas music. I love it all, but I'm enjoying the Christmas material and I just can't express how excited we all are to be back," Layton said.

Layton has come a long way from working in a shop selling high-end recorders in Boston.

"That was a lifetime ago," she said. "It was some Christmastime magic for me. It shows anything can happen. I've had the greatest time all of these years with Mannheim Steamroller and the great thing is that I hope I have many more years with the people I work with."