Get to know the Very Merry Dickens Carolers of Cranston (and beyond)

The Very Merry Dickens Carolers
Moniz Entertainment
Cranston, Rhode Island

One of the joys of attending the Marathon A Christmas Carol Reading at the Providence Athenaeum was the intermission. Between the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Present came The Very Merry Dickens Carolers. The quartet performed a selection of Christmas standards, and a couple of more unfamiliar ones, like Thirty Second Fa La La. They encouraged audience participation, and there were a lot of smiles and singing coming from the crowd.

The Very Merry Dickens Carolers was founded approximately 20 years ago. Erin and David Moniz joined 10 and 9 years ago as singers. David is a tenor, and Erin sings alto and soprano. They took over the business in 2022 under their entertainment group, Moniz Entertainment LLC. 

The Very Merry Dickens Carolers has approximately 20 members that live all over RI, MA, and CT. They rehearse weekly in Providence, which is part of what makes their group special. 

Erin tells me, "Most other professional caroling groups will hire singers that show up the day of and meet each other for the first time at the day of performance. On the other hand,  by the time we perform, we are not only familiar with our music, but also our fellow musicians! This lets us really be able to engage the audience and provide our clients with the best possible experience. We sing in four part harmony, a cappella, in our Victorian costumes."  

David holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in music and music education, and Erin has a bachelor’s degree in education. The carolers have various backgrounds in music and musical theatre, and the group welcomes members of all different backgrounds and musical experience to sing with them. 

From Black Friday to Christmas Eve, the VMDC sends out quartets of singers around New England to spread Christmas cheer. They may be hired by local towns and businesses to add some extra spirit to their events like tree lightings or town festivals - a commenter on my Threads post about them said that they were in Chepachet the day before the Athenaeum! They also offer A Very Merry Dickens Caroling Card, where a quartet will come to the recipient's house with a card and selection of Christmas music. What an awesome surprise that would be! 

For those who may appreciate a more modern take, they also offer the Christmas Present Carolers, who dresses and sings in a more contemporary style. 

Whether you see them out and about at holiday events, or hire them for your own celebration, they'll add some musical cheer.