MANHATTAN — They admit members can't carry a tune, but that hasn't stopped the East Sixties Neighborhood Association from treating shoppers to an off-key "holiday sing” for the past two decades.
This year, though, the Upper East Side is in for a caroling treat.
After coming close to canceling the charity event for lack of a choir leader, ESNA is instead offering a much more polished seasonal sing-a-long — replacing neighborhood crooners with professional singers who made their name in Disneyland.
The Goode Time Carolers, described on ESNA’s promo materials as “one of the most sought-after caroling groups in the nation,” will be dressed in “Dickensian style” costumes as they lead the group in song on Tuesday, Dec. 13 inside the rotunda at a TD Bank branch on Third Avenue and East 64th Street.
The event promotes a toy donation drive for children being treated at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
"We may sound a little better than we normally sound because, someone like me, I can’t carry a tune," said Judy Schneider, who co-founded the East Sixties Neighborhood Association with her husband, Barry.
"There will be enough people to drown out my off-key voice," she said with a laugh. "This year we might have more people. People are really excited that we’re hiring professional carolers."
The Goode Time Carolers are no ordinary troupe.
They started up five years ago in Los Angeles, where they are the official carolers of Disneyland, the group’s California-based producer Tony Duran said.
When some of the Broadway-caliber members moved to New York last year to “make it” here, Goode Time added two New York-based quartets to its roster. They’ve scored some major gigs here, including the opening for Sony Pictures’ “Arthur Christmas,” but are still trying to get a foothold in New York, whose caroling scene lags behind California’s “huge” one, Duran said.
"We’re all highbrow Victorian elegance at its best," Duran said, "And we have a blast doing it."
The East Sixties Neighborhood Association’s tradition began as a ragtag affair with 20 or so locals singing outside of stores on various Upper East Side street corners until settling on a public plaza outside the TD Bank.
Three years ago, as they were going through their songs on a cold and rainy night, the branch manager took pity on them and invited them inside, Schneider said. The bank now provides hot cocoa for the event and Schneider brings cookies.
The association would hire a trumpet player for $100 every year, and a neighbor who sung in choirs and was the sister-in-law of a famous opera singer would lead them before she got sick two years ago.
Their trumpeter tapped his girlfriend to take over the next year, but they broke up. He found another choral leader, but she didn’t mesh well. Then Schneider saw a mention of the Goode Time Carolers in a newspaper.
The association had contemplated stopping the annual event, but reconsidered after reading letters from the children at the hospital who get the toys.
“The letters are so heartwarming. We couldn’t conceive of not doing it,” Barry Schneider said, reading one addressed to “Santa" which read, “I’m so glad you were able to find me this year because I was in foster care last year and you didn’t know where I was.”
The Goode Time Carolers aren’t charging their usual rates to the nonprofit community group for their toy drive, Duran noted.
“I’m not making money at the event, but we know it’s for a good cause,” Duran said. “I charged them minimally — just enough to pay my carolers something. I’m all about putting the spirit of Christmas out there. We’re ambassadors of feel good.”
He added: “The event is going to be wonderful. These are life-defining moments we create, especially for children. When they hear four-part harmonies, they're mesmerized."
The East Sixties Neighborhood Association's 20th Annual Holiday Sing takes place on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. in the rotunda of the TD Bank on Third Avenue and East 64th Street. The group is welcoming unwrapped gifts in their original packaging for children up to age 11.
