What happens when a musician is stuck in quarantine with two things: no studio to record and an undying love for the holidays? He puts together a Christmas record with the help of some friends.
Conceptualized, recorded, mixed and slaved over in his basement in New Jersey, Dan Amato is releasing Home For Christmas on Thanksgiving. This is his first full holiday EP, which features five of his favorite Christmas songs. The record was completely home-produced by Amato.
"I decided to put out this EP because I think this year more than ever my family, friends and some people I am lucky enough to call fans could use the concept that is this record; making the best of what you have right at home," explained Amato. "This is essentially the product of me doing exactly that. I have always wanted to learn how to professionally engineer, record and mix my music at home from sitting in the studio for countless hours with people like my good friend Adam Vaccarelli at Retromedia Sound Studios in Red Bank, NJ. If I didn’t have this time to myself to sit and actually learn & practice, this definitely would not have been a thing. In a lot of ways, I took this time as a blessing to work on myself and my skills and i couldn’t be happier to have a product to show for it."
The record contains Amato's takes on "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)," "Blue Christmas," "Christmas Vacation," "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." His favorite Christmas song was previously released as a single in February 2020 and can be heard here.
"My all time favorite Christmas song is without question, 'All Alone on Christmas' by Darlene Love," said Amato. "As a kid it was tradition in my house to wake up to that song blaring over the stereo on Christmas morning. It’s definitely stayed with me over the years- so much so that I even covered it last year and released it as a single. I came to love the sound of Bruce, Clarence, Stevie and the E Street Band as I got older and discovered it for myself. It wasn’t until I got into music as a passion that I put two and two together to realize it was most of them on the record and their sound was integral to my growing up and musical taste."
Amato, a singer-songwriter from Paramus, graduated from Monmouth University’s music program in 2019 and has been performing as well as recording independently since 2017. He's released three EPs and can be found performing at venues like the Orange Lantern Saloon in Paramus and all over Asbury Park (clubs like The Stone Pony, Wonder Bar, Saint, and Asbury Park Yacht Club).
"I am blessed to be friends with and know such incredible musicians all over the globe," added Amato. "Musicians on this record include: Nicole Govel from Marlboro, NJ on backing vocals for the whole record, Bob Gizzi, one of my musical mentors as well as elementary and high school music teacher on Saxophone for the first track, Elizabeth Lister from Leeds, UK on strings for the first and last track, Jeff Dombrowski from Highland, Indiana on Pedal Steel through most of the record, Alina Zimmerman from Howell, NJ on auxiliary backing vocals on the first track and Luca Giacobbe from Italy on Tubular bells on the first track."
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
