This time of year, people are starting to pull their Christmas recordings from storage boxes and long-untouched corners of their album collections, but Matthew Fodor never lets his Christmas albums get dusty.

"I listen to Christmas music even in the summer time," said the Hermitage pianist and singer, who has released the recording "Spirit of Christmas."

Fodor, 18, doesn't separate Christmas music from other types of music.

"I can listen to it any time and still enjoy it," he said. "It's a nice change from what you hear everyday. It puts you in a good mood."

So, it wasn't hard for him to get into the mood when he decided to record a Christmas album.

He was planning on doing a full-length recording -- he had taped a single about 1è years ago -- and decided that a Christmas album would stand out from the competition.

He recorded four original tunes -- two vocal songs and two piano solos -- two classical stalwarts -- Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" and J.S. Bach's "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" -- and seasonal favorites "O Holy Night," "Joy to the World" and "What Child is This?"

Fodor's approach runs between pop and classical, steering clear of bubble gum and strict readings of the classical music he plays.

Fodor said he wanted the music to show his range and hoped that would attract more listeners.

"You want something there that they'll put back in and listen to over and over," he said.

Fodor, who performs Dec. 19 on the WFMJ-TV morning show, began playing piano at age 7.

"Unless you want to consider that Muppet piano he got at age 3," chimed in his father, David, who also manages his career. "He taught himself."

Fodor, who calls Celine Dion his idol, but also admires Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban and Meat Loaf, started taking piano lessons at age 8.

After participating in local children's choirs, theater productions and church activities, he was hired at age 14 at his home church, St. Stanislaus Kostka in Sharon, to play piano and organ.

He later moved on to play keyboards and sing at St. Joseph's Church, Sharon, and accompanied the former Camerata Girls' Choir.

Fodor, whose car license plate reads "KEYZ88," signed on as director of music at St. James Church, Warren, Ohio, starting in 2001. The choir sings on the CD's "O Holy Night."

Majoring in piano performance at Westminster College, New Wilmington, under the tutelage of Nancy Zipay DeSalvo, Fodor also is studying vocal performance with Dr. Robin Lind and organ with Dr. Elizabeth Harrison.

While piano is his main instrument, he said he will never give up his other musical interests.

"This is stuff I do on the side, but, if I say it gets done, it gets done."

"Spirit of Christmas" is on sale at Marks Music, Jerry Stigliano's BookSource and Kraynak's, all in Hermitage, Border's Books and Music, Niles, Ohio, and Barnes and Noble, Boardman, Ohio, and at

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at

jpinchot@sharonherald.com