21-Year-Old Singer, Songbook Academy Student, has 8 Shows at Christkindlmarkt

We’ve been following Peter Fulton’s singing career since he was a Hamilton County 4-H’er with my daughter.

Ron and Carmen Fulton have always let us know when their son has a singing performance.

Peter Fulton is now 21. Actually, his 21st birthday was Friday. So Happy 21st birthday Peter Fulton!

What a way to celebrate this weekend, as he kicks off the first of eight vocal performances at the Carmel Christkindlmarkt.

He’ll perform at 6 p.m. today, followed by performances at 6 p.m. Sunday, 5 p.m. Dec. 20, 8 p.m. Dec. 21 with the Songbook Academy, 2 p.m. Dec. 22, 5 p.m. Dec. 27 and 29 and 8 p.m. Dec. 30 at the market. Admission is free.

It’s Peter Fulton’s third year to sing at the Christkindlmarkt, each year submitting an audition video with an application. His first year was in 2019; the event was canceled in 2020, then it was back in 2021. He will sing a list of Christmas songs on rotation but mostly Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, Songbook Academy-type music. He’s required to sing holiday music or Germanic music. “Most of the songs I’ve chosen are holiday songs from the 1930s to the 1960s, some of which are from classic American movies,” Peter Fulton said this week.

“For the Christkindlmarkt, I bring a repertoire that I’m already familiar with,” he said. “Every now and then, I substitute new songs into my set, but in general, I’m familiar enough with all my songs that I can sing them whenever I need to.”

One of his eight performances will be with the Songbook Academy Indiana alumni, which includes Lauren Sciaudone, a senior at Guerin Catholic High School in Noblesville and who also competed at the Hamilton County 4-H Fair Talent Show, who is singing at Carmel Christkindlmarkt and who attended Songbook Academy in 2022. In 2018 and 2019, Peter Fulton attended the Songbook Academy, a weeklong national summer music intensive in Carmel that provides pre-professional training for high school students who love to sing. Carmen Fulton said the 40 selected students from around the United States stayed in the Butler University dorm with Songbook Academy chaperones and rode a bus to The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel for music classes and rehearsals every day. There were solo performances during the week and there was also a big group performance at the end of the week, in tuxedos and gowns, she said.

“It was hard to get into Songbook,” his mom said. “Lots of talented applicants. I think he got in on the third try.” She said, “He really loved being part of Songbook for two summers.”

Peter Fulton said at the Songbook Academy’s Christkindlmarkt performances, a bunch of alumni from the Academy come out to sing Christmas solos from all eras of music. He’ll be singing “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” as well as a duet of “White Christmas” with Sciaudone. “Even more alumni signed up this year compared to last year, so I’m excited to see what songs they choose.”

He said, “I enjoy how relaxing it is to sing at the Carmel Christkindlmarkt. I don’t need to put on a spectacle or sing perfectly; I just need to spread the holiday cheer.”

Peter Fulton said, “Singing for long periods of time has forced me to sing healthily, and encouraged me to push the variety in my sets. And singing in front of so many people has forced me to improve my connection with the audience and become a better storyteller.”

Peter Fulton’s best advice for young singers?

“When you’re performing, don’t focus on sounding ‘good.’ Focus on telling the audience a story. If you try to sing perfectly, you’d be putting too much pressure on yourself. But if you try to tell a story, you’ll be letting the lyrics do the work for you, and you’ll leave the audience with something to think about,” said the Fishers resident who competed in the 4-H Fair’s Talent Show for 10 years.

“Singing is a nice outlet. The more opportunities I get to sing in front of an audience, the better. It feels fulfilling,” he said.

Peter Fulton’s first public performance was at age 8. It was from a summer music program at King of Glory Church Lutheran Church in Carmel, said his mom, who “dug up an old video” from 13 years ago. Peter and his older sister, Katy, were in the musical, “Jailhouse Rock.” The mom said, “It was a fun time for the kids memorizing songs and doing their hand motions.”

She said, “They did a Christmas musical then another summer musical the year after at King of Glory.”

The mom said, “Even at an early age, he sang with feelings.”

When he was 11, in 2013, he portrayed the King in The Belfry Theatre Apprentice Players’ youth production of “Sleeping Beauty” musical with my then 7-year-old daughter, who was a Goon.

Just a week prior was the first year that Fulton participated in the county 4-H Fair’s Talent Show in 2013, and was named Junior Grand Champion. He went on to win Senior Grand Champion various years and was the Senior Division Overall Winner in 2019 at the Indiana State Fair with Frank Sinatra’s “I’m Gonna Live ‘Til I Die.”

In 2022, Fulton won second place Overall Vocal in the Indiana State Fair’s Senior Division of the 2022 Youth Talent Contest, with his song, “Heaven’s Light” from “Hunchback of Notre Dame.” He was also named first place in Male Vocal Solo.

He likes talent shows, which he said, “help build my confidence and communication skills. They’re also a great way to meet other local musicians.”

Fulton is in his senior year of college and majoring in 3D Art and Video Game Development and is also learning Japanese. This year, he will be one of the musical directors for IUPUI’s acapella group, On a Side Note. “That means I’ll be arranging music, leading practices and giving musical feedback to the group members,” he has said.

Besides singing at Christkindlmarkt, which is open daily (except Christmas Day) through Dec. 30, Peter Fulton is also working at the market, selling gift items handcrafted from Germany, helping his older brother, Nathan Fulton, who was helping operate some of the booths. At Christkindlmarkt, there are 11 unique huts with German hand-crafted products from the Black Forest, nutcrackers, smokers, pyramids, cuckoo clocks, Nathan Fulton said.

Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com