Guest Artist Bios

Gary Fry, composer/arranger

Gary Fry is an Emmy-winning composer, arranger, producer, conductor, and music educator. He has crafted music for recordings, films, commercials, and live performances. Significant credits include his work as arranger/composer for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Welcome, Yule! holiday concerts for nearly 20 years, his current position as arranger/composer for the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Pops programs, artistic consultant to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for their annual Christmas Celebration concerts, and over 100 commissions for Christmas and holiday music from those orchestras and others around the nation.

Long one of the nation’s foremost commercial music producers, Gary has written and produced over 2,500 nationally broadcast radio and television commercials for companies such as McDonald’s, Sears, United Airlines, Kellogg’s, the U.S. Air Force, and hundreds of other advertisers. He won an Emmy Award in 2006 for his original commercial music for WBBM-TV (Chicago).

Gary and his wife, Carol, live in the Charlotte area, where two of their grown children live.

Joshua Carswell, vocalist

Joshua Carswell is an accomplished vocalist and performer of commercial music, musical theatre, sacred and opera. A native of North Carolina, Mr. Carswell graduated from Elon University with a Bachelors in Vocal Performance, garnering the university’s prestigious Presser Music Scholar award. He has concertized and been a guest soloist in venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium, The Kennedy Center, The Grand Ole Opry, 54 Below and made appearances with the Greensboro Opera, North Carolina Symphony, Indiana Wind Symphony and the Savannah Philharmonic. Recent dramatic roles include Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man (Packard Playhouse) and Rooster Hannigan in Annie (Packard Playhouse) as well as a series regular on the successful children’s television show The Wonderful World of Benjamin Cello.

Mr. Carswell’s exceptional interpretive skill has garnered national attention, winning the grand prize in the prestigious American Traditions Competition in Savannah, GA. He is a winner of state and regional levels of NATS for Classical and Musical Theatre. Joshua has released two albums of American Standards and will be releasing his debut original album Innerspace in the Spring of 2024.

RED CAST (12/15 @ 7:30pm, 12/17 @ 3 pm)

BRIDIE ARMSTRONG is a 7th grader at Holy Trinity Middle School where last year she played the role of Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka Jr. She is a competitive Irish Dancer who also loves singing and art.

MAGGIE ARMSTRONG is a 3rd grader at Pineville Elementary School. Like her older sister, she is a competitive Irish dancer who also loves singing and art.

TOMMY ARMSTRONG is a 2nd grader at Pineville Elementary School. His most recent letter to Santa requested only one gift, $1M for the homeless people.

GREEN CAST (12/16 @ 7:30pm, 12/17 @ 7:30pm)

LYN ARMSTRONG is an 8th grader at Northwest School of the Arts. She is currently part of the Ballantyne Arts Center performing company.

ARIANA BRYSON is in the 7th grade. She enjoys reading, hanging out with her sisters and playing soccer.

ALEXANDER WAX is a 5th grader at Charlotte Preparatory School. When not playing piano, running cross country or acting in school plays, he enjoys bike riding, hiking and traveling, and spending time with his family, and four legged siblings, DaVinci (cat) and Dakota (pup).