Exclusive: Celia Berk to Release New Winter EP; Watch New Lyric Video Now

 Tomorrow, December 17, vocalist Celia Berk is sharing a new collection of songs, Four Seasons of Song: Winter. Ahead of its release, check out a new music video of "Love Turns Winter Into Spring," available now. This marks the final release in her EP series celebrating the four seasons.

Co-produced by Tony and Grammy-award-winning sound designer Scott Lehrer and arranged by music director Bálint Varga, Berk is joined by a jazz trio comprised of Seoyeon Im on violin, Ken Maletkova on guitar, and Trevor Robertson on bass.

The EP begins with Bob Russell’s “Warm In December," followed by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn’s “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” featuring backup singers and sleigh bells. Then, a gypsy jazz arrangement of Irving Berlin’s “Let’s Start The New Year Right." and Matt Dennis and Frank Kiduff’s “Love Turns Winter To Spring”. The album concludes with Jonathan Larson’s “Seasons of Love,” again with Varga. Check out a behind-the-scenes video from the recording session below. 

"Winter is the final season of our year-long recording journey, and we wanted to end on a high note!" said Berk: “We don’t consider it an ending — it’s the pivot to a new year. We’ve tried to express that through song choices and arrangements that are celebratory and anticipatory. And we’ve added a surprise at the end, to sum things up.” 

“I wanted to capture the upbeat energy of the season with some fun, lively arrangements," Varga added. "I’ve long admired Django Reinhardt’s style, and felt this would be the perfect opportunity to bring his incredibly spirited sound into our final EP.” 

Track List:

1. Warm In December

2. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

3. Let’s Start The New Year Right

4. Love Turns Winter Into Spring

5. Seasons of Love 

About Celia Berk

Celia Berk is an award-winning vocalist living in New York City. She has made appearances at Carnegie Hall, Jazz At Lincoln Center, Birdland Theater, 54 Below, The Town Hall and the National Arts Club. Berk released her third album, Now That I Have Everything, in September 2022. It was included on the 2023 Grammy Awards Preliminary Ballot, named one of the Top 10 Vocalist Recordings of 2022 by The Broadway Radio Show, and was nominated for the BroadwayWorld and LaMott Friedman Awards.

Berk's second album, Manhattan Serenade, received the 2017 LaMott Friedman Award from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets. You Can’t Rush Spring and Berk's solo cabaret debut earned her a 2015 Bistro Award: Vocalist, 2015 MAC Award: New York Debut/Female, 2015 BroadwayWorld Award for Best New York Cabaret Debut, and The 2015 Margaret Whiting Award. She is a Voting Member of The Recording Academy. 

About Bálint Varga

Bálint Varga is a New York-based composer originally from Budapest, Hungary. His work has been performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Jazz At Lincoln Center, Symphony Hall, Bastille Opera House and Birdland. His writing credits include d’ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical (an audio theater experience on Spotify), and YASUKE—The Legend of the Black Samurai, currently in development for Broadway.

Photo Credit: Helane Blumfield