Explore the latest musical journey from James A Norkawich. Discover what makes these new releases stand out and why they're a must-listen for all fans. Stay tuned for updates, behind-the-scenes stories, and more!

🎄✨ Under the Mistletoe Lights – A Romantic New Chapter in the Sound of Christmas

By James A. Norkawich | October 2025

Just when it seemed the season couldn’t get any brighter, pianist, composer, and producer James A. Norkawich — affectionately known as Mr. Christmas — adds one more shining star to his 2025 holiday collection: Under the Mistletoe Lights.

Originally planned as Now That’s What I Call James A. Norkawich Christmas Music, this album took on a life of its own — transforming into something more soulful, more intimate, and more timeless than ever imagined.

“As the music evolved, I realized it wasn’t just a compilation — it was a feeling,” Norkawich says. “It became about the glow of lights, the warmth of togetherness, and the romance that fills the air when the season arrives. Under the Mistletoe Lights captures that magic.”

 

💫 A Blend of Passion, Style, and Holiday Soul

This album blends smooth jazz, soulful pop, and classical crossover elegance into a sonic holiday experience that’s both modern and nostalgic. With lush piano arrangements, shimmering strings, heartfelt harmonies, and the pulse of live rhythm, Under the Mistletoe Lights evokes the cozy sparkle of fireside gatherings and candlelit Christmas nights.

It’s a record that feels cinematic yet deeply personal — made for couples sharing a quiet evening, friends celebrating the season, and anyone who believes that Christmas should be felt as much as it’s heard.

 

🎁 A Fifth Gift for the Season

Under the Mistletoe Lights joins Norkawich’s other four 2025 Christmas releases — This Christmas Is Forever, Christmas Forever More, A Norkawich Family Christmas, and Christmas Enchantment — creating an unparalleled four-album holiday suite that celebrates faith, love, reflection, and joy.

Each album tells a different story, but Under the Mistletoe Lights stands apart for its romantic undertones, sensual energy, and emotional honesty. It’s the album that reminds us that even in the busiest time of year, there’s always room for connection, warmth, and the light that love brings.

 

🎧 Available Everywhere October 29, 2025

Stream Under the Mistletoe Lights beginning October 29, 2025, on all major platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, Pandora, and more.

It’s more than just another Christmas album — it’s an experience, a memory, and a soundtrack for the moments that matter most.

 

📣 Follow James A. Norkawich

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🏆 James A. Norkawich Receives the 2025 President’s Award for Excellence in Music and Scoring

This year, the Maple Crown Music Honors President’s Award has been presented to James A. Norkawich — American pianist, composer, arranger, and producer — for his exceptional achievements in performance, composition, and scoring across multiple genres.

Recognized internationally as Mr. Christmas and America’s Composer, Norkawich has built a prolific career blending jazz, classical crossover, gospel, and cinematic scoring, while maintaining a deeply emotional connection to the listener.

“James A. Norkawich exemplifies what this award stands for,” said the Maple Crown committee chair in a statement. “His ability to blend technical brilliance with emotional depth, while using music as a tool for healing and unity, represents the highest ideals of artistry and purpose.”

With a discography spanning more than a dozen albums — including Hometown Homecoming, Christmas Magic, Lighthouse, and his 2025 releases This Christmas Is Forever, Christmas Forever More, A Norkawich Family Christmas, and Under the Mistletoe Lights — Norkawich continues to redefine what it means to create meaningful, timeless music in the modern era.

Beyond his recordings, Norkawich is also the founder of The Lighthouse Project, a Christian-based organization that promotes mental health and healing through music and the arts, reaching schools, veterans, and senior communities across North America. His leadership in this space has positioned him as one of today’s most compassionate and visionary artists.

“To receive the President’s Award from such a respected institution is deeply humbling,” said Norkawich. “Music has always been my way of communicating faith, hope, and the beauty of life itself. To be recognized for that purpose means more than words can express.”

**❄️ At the Intersection of Winter and Memory:

James A. Norkawich Unveils Steinway and Snowflakes**

In a world saturated with holiday playlists and seasonal singles, few artists manage to carve out a truly original sonic identity—one that feels both timeless and personal. But James A. Norkawich, known affectionately to many as Mr. Christmas and America’s Composer, has once again created something unmistakably his own.

With the upcoming release of Steinway and Snowflakes, Norkawich returns to the essence of what defines his winter catalog: emotional storytelling, cinematic beauty, and deeply expressive piano work that feels like gently falling snow captured in sound.

Set against the soft glow of a fireplace and the grandeur of a Steinway piano, this album is not just a collection of instrumental Christmas pieces—it is a portrait of memory, devotion, and the quiet magic of the season.

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🎹 A Steinway at the Center of It All

Where many Christmas albums rely on lush orchestration or vocal features, Steinway and Snowflakes does the opposite. It strips the holiday soundscape down to its purest form:
one pianist, one instrument, and the space between notes.

The Steinway becomes the storyteller—its resonance rich, warm, and unhurried. Each track feels intentional, shaped by restraint rather than excess. Norkawich uses silence as effectively as he uses melody, allowing listeners to breathe in the moment.

The result is a winter album that doesn’t just accompany the season—it defines it.

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❄️ A Sound of Memory and Reflection

At its core, Steinway and Snowflakes is an album about remembering.

Not the loud and glittering memories of the mall or the parade—but the quiet ones:

• A room lit by a single strand of Christmas lights

• A snowy night in Bridgeport, CT

• Family gathered around the tree

• The warmth of a mother’s voice

• The steady presence of a father who believed in music

• The feeling of being home

Every piece on this album carries those memories like footprints in fresh snow. Some tracks evoke a sense of longing; others wrap listeners in a nostalgic embrace. A few even carry the weight of grief, acknowledging that Christmas can be as much about remembering who is gone as celebrating who is here.

But the emotion is never heavy—only human.

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🌨️ Dedicated to Those We’ve Loved and Lost

Among the album’s standout moments is a piece dedicated to Jackie Nuñez, a dear friend whose passing left a deep imprint on Norkawich’s heart. Her tribute track is quiet and reverent, built on simple voicings that swell with meaning as the melody unfolds.

It’s a reminder of one of Norkawich’s most enduring artistic beliefs:
love does not disappear; it transforms.

And the album reflects that.

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✨ A Modern Artisan of Holiday Music

Over the past several years, Norkawich has built one of the most expansive Christmas catalogs of any modern composer. While others may treat holiday releases as novelties or side projects, his approach is entirely different.

For him, Christmas music is a calling—
a way to preserve memory, celebrate tradition, and offer emotional refuge to anyone who needs it.

Steinway and Snowflakes continues this legacy, but with a new level of intimacy. If his past Christmas albums painted sweeping murals, this one sketches delicate portraits—small but profound.

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🎧 The Impact: Music for a Season That Moves Us All

Listeners who carve out time for Steinway and Snowflakes will find a kind of stillness the modern world rarely allows. It is an album built for:

• quiet nights

• snowfall

• reflection

• healing

• candlelit rooms

• late December moments when the world softens

It’s the soundtrack to sitting by a window and watching winter unfold.
It’s the music of memory—but also of hope.

In its simplicity, the album becomes universal.

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❄️ A New Christmas Classic

As December approaches, Steinway and Snowflakes is poised to become one of Norkawich’s signature releases—a reminder that holiday music doesn’t need to be loud to be powerful or orchestrally complex to be meaningful.

Sometimes, all it takes is a Steinway piano, a snowfall, and a composer unafraid to feel.

With this album, James A. Norkawich once again proves why he has become a defining voice of Christmas music in America—and why his work continues to resonate with audiences around the world.

More Steinway and More Snowflakes

James A. Norkawich Deepens His Signature Christmas Sound

With More Steinway and More Snowflakes, pianist, composer, and producer James A. Norkawich returns to the heart of what has become one of his most beloved musical worlds: intimate piano, timeless Christmas melodies, and the quiet magic of winter.

Following the success of Steinway and Snowflakes, this new release is not simply a sequel—it is a deeper, more reflective continuation. Where the first album introduced listeners to a warm, elegant holiday soundscape, More Steinway and More Snowflakes leans further into nuance, emotion, and musical storytelling. It is an album designed for snowy evenings, glowing fireplaces, and moments of stillness during the busiest season of the year.

At the center of the album is Norkawich’s unmistakable relationship with the Steinway grand piano. Every track places the instrument front and center—breathing, singing, and speaking with clarity and restraint. The performances are expressive yet unforced, allowing the natural beauty of the piano to carry familiar melodies and original themes alike. Subtle reharmonizations, classical influences, jazz voicings, and lyrical phrasing give the music depth while preserving its accessibility.

What makes More Steinway and More Snowflakes especially compelling is its sense of atmosphere. This is not background music—it is immersive. You can hear the space around the piano, the resonance of the room, and the intention behind every note. Snowfall feels slower here. Time feels suspended. The album invites listeners to pause, reflect, and reconnect—with memories, with loved ones, and with the quieter emotions that often get lost during the holidays.

For Norkawich, Christmas music has always been more than tradition; it is storytelling. Growing up in Connecticut, surrounded by family, faith, and seasonal rituals, he developed a deep emotional connection to the sounds of Christmas. That connection has grown into a signature style that blends nostalgia with sophistication—honoring the past while speaking to the present. More Steinway and More Snowflakes continues that mission with confidence and grace.

This release also reinforces Norkawich’s identity as “Mr. Christmas,” a title earned through years of carefully crafted holiday albums that resonate far beyond December. His approach avoids excess and spectacle, choosing instead elegance, sincerity, and musicianship. The result is an album that feels personal yet universal—perfect for quiet mornings, late nights, and everything in between.

Ultimately, More Steinway and More Snowflakes is about feeling. It’s about the hush of freshly fallen snow, the glow of lights through a window, and the memories that return when a single piano note hangs in the air. It is Christmas, distilled to its purest form—one Steinway, one moment at a time.

More Steinway and More Snowflakes is available now on all major streaming platforms.

New Music Releases — 2026

James A. Norkawich

Explore James A. Norkawich’s 2026 releases, from inspirational music and romantic collections to timeless standards and the return of Mr. Christmas.

Redeemed

2026 Release

Explore the inspirational side of James A. Norkawich’s musical catalog with Redeemed.

A Love Like This

2026 Release

Celebrate the romantic side of James’s music with A Love Like This—a collection for moments shared with someone special.

Songs to Make You Smile

2026 Release

Add music to your everyday moments with Songs to Make You Smile, part of James A. Norkawich’s growing 2026 catalog.

The Way You Look Tonight

2026 Release

Discover The Way You Look Tonight, continuing James’s appreciation for timeless songs and the enduring appeal of the American songbook.

A Christmas to Remember

New Album • Coming October 31, 2026

Mr. Christmas returns with a new holiday album celebrating faith, family, cherished traditions, and the memories that make the season meaningful.

A Christmas to Remember invites listeners to make music part of their celebrations—and part of the memories they carry into the years ahead.

A Christmas In Connecticut

Holiday Reissue • Coming October 31, 2026

A cherished holiday project returns for the 2026 Christmas season. A Christmas In Connecticut celebrates James A. Norkawich’s Connecticut roots and his lasting connection to the music and traditions of Christmas.

Rediscover the collection as Mr. Christmas welcomes another season of celebration.

Listen & Stay Connected

Explore the current catalog on Spotify, and return for updates on the October 31 Christmas releases.

Listen to James A. Norkawich on Spotify

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James A. Norkawich — America’s Composer • Mr. Christmas

A Christmas to Remember

A New Christmas Album from James A. Norkawich

Coming October 31, 2026

Some Christmases simply pass through our lives. Others stay with us forever.

This holiday season, James A. Norkawich invites listeners to rediscover the music, memories, faith, and traditions of the season with his new album, A Christmas to Remember, arriving October 31, 2026.

Created as more than simply another collection of Christmas songs, A Christmas to Remember is a celebration of everything that makes this season extraordinary—the people gathered around us, the memories of those we miss, the traditions passed from one generation to another, and the unmistakable feeling that music can bring into a home at Christmastime.

A Fresh Sound for a Timeless Season

A Christmas to Remember brings together the warmth of traditional Christmas music with the contemporary musical world of James A. Norkawich.

Listeners can expect beautiful piano, lush orchestration, soulful R&B influences, energetic holiday rhythms, powerful vocals, intimate musical moments, and fresh arrangements designed to capture both the excitement and emotion of Christmas.

The album moves between celebration and reflection.

There are moments designed to make you turn up the music and celebrate with family and friends, alongside quieter selections that invite you to remember Christmases gone by and the people who made them special.

At its heart, however, the album remains grounded in something deeper:

faith, hope, love, and gratitude.

Music Becomes Memory

There is something remarkable about Christmas music.

A melody can suddenly transport us back decades. A few notes can remind us of childhood, a family gathering, someone we loved, or a Christmas we thought we had forgotten.

That connection between music and memory became one of the inspirations behind A Christmas to Remember.

“I've always believed that Christmas music should do more than fill a room—it should make you feel something. I wanted to create an album that could become part of people's traditions and, hopefully, part of the memories they make with the people they love.”

— James A. Norkawich

The album celebrates the idea that the most meaningful Christmas moments are rarely the most elaborate ones.

Sometimes they're found in laughter coming from the kitchen, an old song playing while the tree is being decorated, family stories we've heard a hundred times, a quiet prayer, or simply having the people we love together in one room.

Those are the moments we remember.

Christmas Begins October 31

For James A. Norkawich, Christmas music has become an important part of a musical journey spanning performance, composing, arranging, producing, and recording.

A Christmas to Remember continues that tradition while opening the door to a new Christmas sound—one that respects the music of the past while embracing contemporary production, new arrangements, and original musical ideas.

Beginning October 31, 2026, listeners are invited to turn up the music, gather the people they love, and begin making another season of memories.

Because long after the decorations come down and another Christmas becomes part of the past, the music—and the memories attached to it—remain.

JAMES A. NORKAWICH

A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER

COMING OCTOBER 31, 2026

Make the memories. Celebrate the moments. Remember the music.

A Christmas in Connecticut — A Musical Homecoming for the Holidays

There is something extraordinary about Christmas in New England. The historic town greens, decorated village storefronts, family traditions, and quiet beauty of Connecticut in December create memories that last a lifetime. For acclaimed pianist, composer, and recording artist James A. Norkawich, those traditions are more than seasonal memories. They are part of his musical identity.

Originally released in 2022 under the title A Connecticut Christmas, this beloved collection returns in 2026 as A Christmas in Connecticut, celebrating the sights, sounds, and sentimental beauty of the holiday season in the state Norkawich proudly calls home.

Drawing upon his lifelong passion for Christmas music, Norkawich brings together the warmth of traditional holiday arrangements, the sophistication of his piano artistry, and the nostalgic atmosphere of Christmases from generations past.

The album reflects a simpler holiday spirit, when families gathered around the piano, neighborhoods celebrated together, and Christmas music provided the soundtrack to cherished moments.

For Norkawich, affectionately known as Mr. Christmas, the collection is a musical tribute to his Connecticut roots and the enduring traditions that connect families across generations.

A Christmas in Connecticut is more than a holiday album. It is a musical postcard from New England, inviting listeners to rediscover the warmth of Christmas past while creating new memories for the future.

Originally released in 2022. Special 2026 reissue from Studio 55.

A Magical Christmas — Bringing the Golden Age of Christmas Music into a New Era

Imagine stepping into a Christmas celebration from another time. A grand piano fills the room with music, a fireplace glows warmly, elegant orchestral arrangements drift through the air, and the excitement of the holiday season brings generations together.

That timeless atmosphere is the inspiration behind A Magical Christmas, a brand-new 2026 holiday album from acclaimed pianist, composer, and recording artist James A. Norkawich.

Celebrated as America's Composer and affectionately known as Mr. Christmas, Norkawich has built a musical identity around his appreciation for the Great American Songbook, jazz, traditional pop, orchestral arrangements, and the enduring appeal of classic Christmas recordings.

With A Magical Christmas, he brings those influences together in a holiday experience that celebrates both nostalgia and musical imagination.

The album's creative direction embraces the sophistication of classic American crooners, the excitement of big-band arrangements, the intimacy of romantic jazz, and the emotional richness of contemporary R&B and gospel.

At its heart, the collection reflects the wonder that has made Christmas music such an important part of American culture: the melodies families remember, the traditions children discover, and the unmistakable excitement of a season unlike any other.

From elegant holiday evenings to joyful family celebrations, A Magical Christmas is designed to evoke the beauty, romance, and enchantment of the season.

A Magical Christmas is an invitation to experience Christmas through the eyes of yesterday, the music of today, and the wonder of tomorrow.

A brand-new 2026 holiday release from James A. Norkawich and Studio 55.

A Christmas to Remember — Celebrating the Memories That Make Christmas Last Forever

Every Christmas tells a story. Some are filled with laughter, others with reflection, and many with memories of the people who have shaped our lives. In his new 2026 holiday album, A Christmas to Remember, pianist, composer, and recording artist James A. Norkawich explores the emotions that make the Christmas season one of the most meaningful times of the year.

Known to audiences as America's Composer and Mr. Christmas, Norkawich approaches this collection with a heartfelt musical vision, blending the beauty of traditional Christmas music with the expressive storytelling of contemporary holiday arrangements.

At the heart of A Christmas to Remember is the understanding that Christmas is not simply a date on the calendar. It is a collection of experiences: the excitement of childhood, the traditions passed from one generation to the next, the joy of falling in love, and the bittersweet remembrance of loved ones who are no longer with us.

The album's musical vision embraces intimate piano performances, romantic melodies, warm orchestral textures, and the timeless elegance of classic holiday recordings.

Whether enjoyed beside a fireplace, during a family celebration, or in a quiet moment of reflection, A Christmas to Remember invites listeners to appreciate the people, experiences, and traditions that give the season its deepest meaning.

Because the greatest Christmas gifts are not always the ones we unwrap. Sometimes they are the memories we carry with us for a lifetime.

A brand-new 2026 holiday release from James A. Norkawich and Studio 55.