Midwinter’s Gift
On Sunday, January 15, 2023, Midwinter’s Gift was announced as a nominee for the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame “Instrumental Album of the Year”!! We give a HUGE thanks to whoever put us in their Board of Director’s radar because this certainly wasn’t on ours!
Midwinter’s Gift has literally been the gift that keeps on giving. We are so proud and grateful to have had the opportunity, experience, connection and recognition that this album has brought us. From cookies 
to Billboard…we are simply stunned.
THANK YOU so much for your continuous support 
“The CMPAs are not designed to be determined solely by the popular vote. The 42-person, professional panel of CPMHOF Board of Directors and the Advisory Committee vote based on overall quality and 2022 accomplishments.” — CMPA website.
About Midwinter’s Gift
It all started when Kirstin Myers (Oboe / English horn) was baking Christmas cookies. Somehow, the cookies inspired the idea for a Christmas album and so here we are….announcing our first recording project as Double Keyed—an instrumental piano/oboe/English horn project with classic Christmas songs arranged and produced by Nashville’s own Phillip Keveren.
Since Double Keyed initially connected because of my Portraits of White Winter Concert, we felt it would be appropriate to make our first album a collection of favorite Christmas tunes!
More About Frances and Kirstin
Frances Drost is a pianist and concert artist who began her own company, “Musical Creations” as a way to encourage people on their journey through life. Take years of life experiences distilled into “three-minute messages” of lyric and melody, interwoven with story-telling in between and you get the unique ministry of singer/songwriter Frances Drost.
Oboist Kirstin Myers holds degrees in Music Education and Oboe Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and in 1999 she graduated summa cum laude as a full scholarship recipient from Michigan State University with a Masters in Oboe Performance. For the past 21 years she has been on the faculty of Millersville University and York College of Pennsylvania and in 2016 was also appointed as oboe professor at Lebanon Valley College.
In addition to her collegiate appointments, she is the oboe instructor at York College’s YCPrep Community School and maintains a private studio at her home in the Lancaster area. Her students have gone on to win positions in LLMEA County, PMEA District, Regional, State and All-Eastern Bands & Orchestras. She currently performs with the York Symphony Orchestra, Berks Sinfonietta, Reading Pops Orchestra, Trio Jolie, The Silverwood Trio and most recently began collaborating with Frances as the duo “Double Keyed” performing a variety of classical and popular selections (and if Frances asks nicely, sometimes songs Frances wrote). She has also been part of the Portraits of White Annual Winter Concert for seven years.
More about Frances…
As both a singer and songwriter, Frances has a unique way of presenting real-life experiences and meaningful messages that are gently woven throughout her music.
- Frances has served for a total of over 16 years on staff as the Director of Worship at various churches and she brings that experience into her worship leading at conferences and churches. As a worship leader, she has shared many platforms with well-known author and Women of Faith speaker, Carol Kent. She has also shared the stage with Kay Arthur, Dee Brestin, Ruth Graham, Margaret Feinberg, Bonnie Keen, and Ellie Lofaro.
- Frances has also been featured as a guest on the Chris Fabry Live Radio Show.
- Frances is also a songwriter for Songs Of Love – a nonprofit organization that connects songwriters with terminally ill children. She has composed and recorded hundreds of songs for the families with their child as the star of the song.
- Her most recent release (June 2020) is a meditative solo piano project combining music with sounds of nature woven into classic hymns and hints of classical melodies. Perfect for your meditation moments, you’ll love Sunrise Meditations.
- “Portraits Of White” is a Christmas/Winter release filled with a beautiful wintery mix of familiar carols and new tunes, instrumentals and vocals. “Portraits of White” has turned into more than just a CD project; it is now a beautiful winter concert featuring a mix of songs from her winter album and beloved holiday favorites. The musical extravaganza also features other talented local musicians, including Kirstin Myers and that’s actually how they first met.
- In December 2016, Frances released a pop album titled “Brand New Me”. It’s an audio-journal of the work God has been doing in her life in the past decade and challenges audiences to believe that God can still change a heart and make you into a new creation.
- Frances was the winner of the 2009 Momentum Award for “Female Artist Of The Year” and was also nominated for “Inspirational Artist Of The Year” at the 2009 Momentum Awards ceremony in Nashville, TN.
- Frances and her husband, Tom, love to ride their Yamaha Vstars when the weather is perfect. 🙂
- Frances has 3 indoor cats and has been known to feed most outdoor strays who come to visit.
More about Kirstin…
Kirstin has been a featured soloist in a multitude of musical groups, including:
- Johnstown Symphony
- Berks Sinfonietta
- Reading Pops Orchestra
- Millersville University Wind Ensemble
- IUP Symphony
- New Holland Band
- Lyric Band of Hanover.
- Kirstin was also 1st oboist of the New Holland Band for 16 years.
- In addition to her work as a freelance musician and teacher, she thoroughly enjoys spending time with her 3 musical children, 3 un-musical cats and her wonderfully supportive and great music aficionado husband, Ken.
Order Midwinter’s Gift HERE!
Midwinter’s Gift Charts at No. 13 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover Album Chart.
Frances Drost, Singer/Songwriter 