Month: December 2024

7-9 p.m. EST
0000-0200 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.org

Prokofiev: “Overture on Hebrew Themes”
Pierre Génisson, clarinet
Ensemble Contraste
(Alpha)

Brahms: Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60
Jacob Lateiner, piano
Jascha Heifetz, violin
Sanford Schonbach, viola
Gregor Piatigorsky, cello
(RCA)

Amy Beach: “Variations on Balkan Themes,” Op. 60
Virginia Eskin, piano
(Musical Heritage Society)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E major
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Manfred Honeck
(Reference Recordings)

“Give good gifts one to another” is Letter V’s traditional Christmas Eve offering. This 19th-century Shaker hymn is not a Christmas carol per se, but a song for all seasons and spiritual inclinations. Its admonition, “peace, joy and comfort, gladly bestow,” is always timely, especially so in times of anxiety and conflict.

The performers are the Pro Arte Singers, led by Paul Hillier. If you’d like to sing along, the lyrics are below the link:

Give good gifts, one to another,
Peace, joy and comfort, gladly bestow;
Harbor no ill ’gainst sister or brother,
Smoothe life’s journey as you onward go.

Broad as the sunshine, free as the showers,
So shed an influence blessing to prove;
Give for the noblest of efforts your powers,
Blest and be blest, is the law of love.

A baroque Christmas, featuring Corelli, Bach and Vivaldi – plus the most prolific of all composers, anon., and the tree-trimming music of choice at my house.

7-9 p.m. EST
0000-0200 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.org

Michel Corrette: “Noël Symphony” No. 6 in A major
La Fantasia/Rien Voskuilen
(Brilliant Classics)

Vivaldi: Gloria
Kaia Urb & Vilve Hepner, sopranos
Anna Zander, alto
Mati Turi, tenor
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Talinn Chamber Orchestra/Tõnu Kaljuste
(Carus)

Thomas Adams: “Variations on ‘Adeste fidelis’ ”
Samuel Wesley: Rondo on ‘God rest you merry, gentlemen’ ”
The Parley of Instruments/Peter Holman
(Hyperion)

anon.: “ ‘Greensleeves’ on a Ground”
(Jordi Savall arrangement)
Hesperion XXI/Jordi Savall
(AliaVox)

Corelli: Concerto grosso in D minor, Op. 6, No. 8 (“Christmas Concerto”)
Brandenburg Consort/Roy Goodman
(Hyperion)

J.S. Bach: Magnificat in D major, BWV 243
Barbara Schlick & Agnes Mellon, sopranos
Gerard Lesne, tenor
Peter Kooy, bass
Collegium Vocale Gent
La Chapelle Royale/Philippe Herreweghe
(Harmonia Mundi)

Michael Praetorius: “Terpsichore” (selections)
Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra/Skip Sempé
(Paradizo)

Johnny Gandelsman, violin
James Wilson, cello
Dec. 16, Church of the Holy Comforter, Episcopal

Johann Sebastian Bach’s works for unaccompanied strings, the six sonatas and partitas for violin and six suites for cello, are among the greatest balancing acts in music, requiring advanced instrumental technique and mastery of musical structure, along with the sensitivity to turn abstract constructs into vehicles for expression, much like soliloquies in spoken drama.

The Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, which has featured this music regularly over its two-decade history, reprised it in a holiday-season candlelight concert featuring the society’s founder and artistic director, cellist James Wilson, and violinist Johnny Gandelsman, an artist best-known as an advocate for new and cross-cultural music – a role that earned him a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” earlier this year – who nonetheless keeps Bach central to his repertory.

Performing before a capacity crowd, probably the largest ever to attend a Chamber Music Society event, Gandelsman played Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 – home of the great Chaconne – and his violin arrangement of the Cello Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012, while Wilson played the most familiar of the cello suites, No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007, and the darkest and deepest of the set, No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011.

As in his past Bach performances in Richmond, Gandelsman emphasized the folk-dance-adjacent, verging on rustic, qualities of these works. A briskly paced, sharply accented reading of the Chaconne was characteristic of his approach: infectiously animated, toe-tapping as he played, in gavottes and gigues, keenly attuned to expressive affect in preludes and slow dances, vividly colorful at all speeds.

Wilson, who in contrast to Gandelsman’s choice of a modern violin played a baroque cello and bow, leaned into the lean, at times fibrous, tonal qualities of the period-style instrument, most strikingly in the C minor Suite – “melancholy and super-crunchy,” as he described the work in preparatory remarks. Intonation and projection, the most challenging aspects of playing early instruments, rarely fazed the cellist (only one break for onstage re-tuning) and never muted his expressive voice.

Zakir Hussain, the most prominent performer on the tabla, the tuned drum that is part of Indian ensembles playing classical ragas, has died at 73.

Hussain, a mainstay of groups led by sitar master Ravi Shankar and other Indian classical artists, also regularly collaborated with Western classical, jazz and folk musicians, making him a leading voice in cross-cultural and “world” music.

In a New York Times obituary, Jon Pareles quotes Hussain’s remarks upon receiving the 2022 Kyoto Prize, recognizing contributions to the arts: “I am from India representing the age-old tradition of North Indian classical music. The way it was played 500 years ago – same way it is being played now, performed now. The difference now is we not only are doing our music, Indian classical music, but we are also learning how to be able to talk our music in as many different musical languages as possible, because the world has become small.”

7-9 p.m. EST
0000-0200 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.org

Dag Wirén: Serenade for String Orchestra
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/Neville Marriner
(Decca)

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor
Boris Giltburg, piano
Rhys Owens, trumpet
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Vasily Petrenko
(Naxos)

Bohuslav Martinů: Nonet
The Dartington Ensemble
(Hyperion)

Ravel: Introduction and Allegro
James Galway, flute
Richard Stoltzman, clarinet
Heidi Lehwalder, harp
Tokyo String Quartet
(RCA)

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K. 459
Murray Perahia, piano & direction
English Chamber Orchestra
(Sony Classical)

William Walton: Partita for Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Edward Gardner
(Chandos)

The Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam have been on tour in the US. The two ensembles are leading contenders in symphonic music’s favorite parlor game: Identifying the world’s greatest orchestra. As they performed a few days apart in Washington and New York, another round of the game – a championship playoff – was inevitable.

A leading referee, Alex Ross, music critic of The New Yorker, weighs in on the two orchestras and their conductors, Kirill Petrenko, who has led the Berliners since 2019, and Klaus Mäkelä, slated to take over at the Concertgebouw (and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) in 2027.

As to their conductors’ contrasting personas, Ross writes, “Mäkelä’s swaggering charisma is not to be denied, even if it leaves some of us cold. . . . Petrenko is tracing a different path, one that young conductors should emulate. His charisma is indistinguishable from that of the orchestra itself.”

For most of his essay, Ross concentrates on the orchestras themselves – as collective music-makers, whose tonal and stylistic characters have been honed over more than a century:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/12/16/the-berlin-philharmonic-doesnt-need-a-maestro

Home for the holidays: Music by composers and for artists from Virginia: A new piano concerto by Mason Bates; chamber works by Adolphus Hailstork, Mary Howe and Damien Geter; Richmond-born mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey singing Korngold; Michael Colgrass’ “Side by Side,” for a soloist playing both piano and harpsichord, composed for and performed by the University of Richmond’s Joanne Kong; and what may be the most widely heard work of a Richmond musician, the arrangement of the folk song “Shenandoah” by UR’s longtime chorusmaster, James Erb.

7-9 p.m. EST
0000-0200 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://wdce.org

Mason Bates: Piano Concerto
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Philadelphia Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Adolphus Hailstork: Piano Quintet (“Detroit”)
Harlem Chamber Players
(Navona)

Erich Wolfgang Korngold: “Mond, so gehst du wieder auf”
Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano
Baptiste Trotignon, piano
(Alpha)

Mary Howe: “Ballade fantasque”
Laura Talbott-Clark, cello
Pi-Ju Chiang, piano
(Navona)

Michael Colgrass: “Side by Side”
Joanne Kong, piano & harpsichord
Boston Modern Orchestra Project/Gil Rose
(BMOP Sound)

Damien Geter: Quartet No. 1 (“Neo-soul”)
Inés Voglar Belgique & Ruby Chen, violins
Jennifer Arnold, viola
Nancy Ives, cello
(Navona)

trad.: “Shenandoah”
(James Erb arrangement)
University of Richmond Choir/James Erb
(premiere recording, 1971)

Ashley Mulcahy, writing for Early Music America, chronicles the history of the Boston Camerata, an ensemble formed 70 years ago in a musty museum basement, that went on to explore periods and genres that were long considered peripheral, even antithetical, to Western classical music.

Long led by Joel Cohen, now led by Anne Azéma (Cohen’s wife), the group has performed and recorded medieval and Renaissance songs and dances, hymns and popular tunes from 18th- and 19th-century America and other repertory that inhabits “the frontier of so-called ‘learned music’ and oral and popular traditions,” as Cohen puts it.

The ensemble continues to push the boundaries: “If the goal is only to reproduce what the generation before has done and what is now an accepted canon,” Azéma tells Mulcahy, “I’m not interested.”

Boston Camerata’s First 70 Years

(via http://artsjournal.com)

Classical performances in and around Richmond, with selected events elsewhere in Virginia and the Washington area. Program information, provided by presenters, is updated as details become available. Adult ticket prices are listed; senior, student/youth, military, group and other discounts may be offered. Ticket prices do not include service fees.

Dec. 1 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Sixth & Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Richard W. Robbins conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
Chelsea Guo, soprano
Leah Hunter, alto
Daniel McGrew, tenor
Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone
Richmond Symphony Chorus
$15-$86
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://richmondsymphony.com

Dec. 1 (2 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Take 6
holiday program TBA
$33-$55
(703) 993-2787
http://cfa.calendar.gmu.edu

Dec. 1 (3 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Steven Reineke conducting
“Elf in Concert,” film with live orchestral accompaniment
$34-$94
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 2 (7 p.m.)
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Laurel Street at Floyd Avenue, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
conductor TBA
other artists TBA
“33rd Annual Holiday Festival of Music”
program TBA
$55-$70; proceeds benefit Commonwealth Catholic Charities
(804) 359-5651
http://cccofva.org/tickets

Dec. 2 (7 p.m.)
Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Arthur Ashe Boulevard at Kensington Avenue, Richmond
Dec. 9 (7 p.m.)
Huguenot Road Baptist Church, 10525 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Richmond Philharmonic
Peter Wilson conducting
“Holiday Pops”
free
(804) 556-1039
http://richmondphilharmonic.org

Dec. 2 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
UR Chamber Ensembles
Joanne Kong directing
program TBA
free; reservation required
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

Dec. 4 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphony & choruses
Daniel Myssyk conducting
Mozart: Requiem in D minor, K. 626
soloists TBA
$12
(804) 828-1166
http://arts.vcu.edu/events

Dec. 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
UR Symphony Orchestra
Naima Burrs conducting
J.S. Bach: Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043, for 2 violins
Esther Kim & Joyce Kim, violins
other works TBA
free; reservation required
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

Dec. 5 (7:30 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Percussion Ensemble
program TBA
free
(804) 828-1166
http://arts.vcu.edu/events

Dec. 5 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Heritage Signature Chorale
Steven Reineke conducting
Jessica Vosk, vocals
“Notes of Honor: a Holiday Pops!”
free for present & former service members & families; ticket reservation required
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 5 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Fortas Chamber Music Concerts:
Jasper Quartet
William Grant Still: “Lyric String Quartette”
Vivian Fung: Quartet No. 2
Beethoven: Quartet in B flat major, Op. 130
$57-$58
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 6 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphonic Wind Ensemble
VCU Jazz Orchestra I
VCU Guitar Ensemble
Commonwealth Singers
other faculty & student musicians TBA
“37th Annual Holiday Gala”
program TBA
$12; proceeds benefit The Doorways
(804) 828-1166
http://arts.vcu.edu/events

Dec. 6 (7:30 p.m.)
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road, Richmond
Dec. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
All Saints Episcopal Church, 8787 River Road, Richmond
James River Singers
David Pedersen directing
“Carols & Songs of Beauty”
Patrick Hawes: “The Nativity”
works TBA by Josquin des Prez, Holst, Ola Gjeilo, others
$20
(757) 814-5446
http://thejamesriversingers.org

Dec. 6 (7:30 p.m.)
Salem Civic Center, 1001 Roanoke Boulevard
Dec. 7 (4 p.m.)
Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
Roanoke Symphony Pops
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Michael Lynche, vocalist
RSO Chorus & guest choruses
Roanoke Valley Children’s Choir
“Holiday Pops Spectacular”
$32-$69 (Roanoke)
sold out; waiting list (Blacksburg)
(540) 343-9127
http://rso.com

Dec. 6 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 7 (2 & 8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Steven Reineke conducting
Jessica Vosk, vocalist
Heritage Signature Chorale
“A Holiday Pops”
$33-$114
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 6 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, 10 First St. SE, Washington
Experiential Orchestra
James Blachly conducting
Ling Ling Huang, speaker
“Schoenberg at 150”
Julia Perry: Prelude
Alan Hovhaness: “In Memory of an Artist,” Op. 163
Irving Fine: “Serious Song: a Lament for String Orchestra”
Perry: Violin Concerto
Curtis Stewart, violin
Schoenberg: “Verklärte Nacht” (“Transfigured Night”)
free; tickets required via http://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/
(202) 707-5507
http://www.loc.gov/events/concerts-from-the-library-of-congress/concerts/upcoming-concerts/

Dec. 7 (1:30 & 3 p.m.)
Dec. 8 (1:30 & 3 p.m.)
Kimball Theatre, 428 W. Duke of Gloucester St., Williamsburg
Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra
Benjamin Rous conducting
Tiffany Haas, vocals
“Holiday Pops”
$38
(757) 229-9857
http://williamsburgsymphony.org

Dec. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
Johnson Theater, 1585 Wesleyan Drive, Norfolk
Dec. 8 (3 & 7 p.m.)
Music Building Concert Hall, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
conductor TBA
“Classical Christmas”
Tchaikovsky: “The Nutcracker” (selections)
works TBA by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi
$25 (Dec. 7), $39 (Williamsburg)
(757) 892-6366
http://virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
Dec. 8 (3:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia
UVa University Singers
Michael Slon conducting
“Family Holiday Concerts”
program TBA
$11-$59
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Dec. 7 (8 p.m.)
University Baptist Church, 1223 W. Main St., Charlottesville
Dec. 8 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Virginia Glee Club
Frank Albinder directing
The Virginia Gentlemen
84th annual Christmas Concerts
$20
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Dec. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
Academy Center of the Arts Historic Theater, 600 Main St., Lynchburg
Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra
David Glover conducting
“Happy Holidays with the LSO”
program TBA
$35-$100
(434) 845-6604
http://lynchburgsymphony.org

Dec. 7 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphiny Orchestra
Nicholas McGegan conducting
J.S. Bach: “Christmas Oratorio” – Cantata I
Vivaldi: Gloria
Sherezade Panthaki, soprano
Diana Moore, mezzo-soprano
Thomas Cooley, tenor
Enrico Lagasca, bass
Handel Choir of Baltimore
J.S. Bach: “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048
Corelli: Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8 (“Christmas Concerto”)
$38-$99
(877) 276-1444
http://strathmore.org

Dec. 8 (3 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Second Sunday South of the James:
“Messiah” sing-along
Naima Burrs conducting
Zarah Brock, soprano
Jessica Harika, mezzo-soprano
DeVonté Saunders, tenor
Eric Charles Brown, bass
rehearsal, 10 a.m. Dec. 7
donation requested
(804) 272-7514
http://bonairpc.org

Dec. 8 (3 p.m.)
Monroe Park, Main & Laurel streets, Richmond
Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Chancel Choir
Greater Richmond Children’s Choir
New Life Deliverance Tabernacle Choir
RVA Street Singers
brass quintet
“Caroling in Monroe Park & Holiday Market”
free
(804) 359-5628
http://ghtc.org

Dec. 8 (4 p.m.)
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Patterson and Forest avenues, Richmond
Richmond Choral Society
Markus Compton directing
Christopher Martin, organ
David Schwoebel, piano
George Pavelis, oboe
Keith Willingham, percussion
“Christmas with the Richmond Choral Society”
works TBA by Mendelssohn, André Thomas, others
$15 in advance, $18 at door
(804) 353-9582
http://richmondchoralsociety.org

Dec. 8 (5 & 8 p.m.)
Cannon Memorial Chapel, University of Richmond
UR Schola Cantorum
guest artists
brass ensemble
Jeffrey Riehl conducting
Mary Beth Bennett, organ
51st annual Festival of Lessons and Carols
free; registration required
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

Dec. 8 (7 p.m.)
River Road Church, Baptist, River and Ridge roads, Richmond
River Road Chancel Choir & Camerata
Robert Gallagher directing
Service of Lessons and Carols
free; reservation required
(804) 288-1131
http://rrcb.org

Dec. 8 (3:30 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Band
director TBA
Harry Decker, vocalist
Robert Chapel, narrator
Christmas program TBA
free
(434) 979-1333
http://theparamount.net

Dec. 10 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
“Messiah” sing-in
Michael Slon directing
$15
(434) 924-3052
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Dec. 11 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 12 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Tim Davies conducting
KEM, guest star
“KEM: Home for the Holidays”
$67-$402
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 12 (7:30 p.m.)
River Road Church, Baptist, River and Ridge roads, Richmond
Virginia Arts Festival:
Vienna Choir Boys
holiday program TBA
$60
(757) 282-2822
http://vafest.org

Dec. 12 (7:30 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Dec. 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 215 St. Paul’s Boulevard, Norfolk
Dec. 15 (7 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Robert Shoup conducting
Kathryn Whitbeck, vocalist
Angela & Valerie Zhang, pianos
“Holiday Pops!”
$15-$119
(757) 892-6366
http://virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Grace Baptist Church, 4200 Dover Road, Richmond
Dec. 15 (3 p.m.)
Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church, 201 Henry St., Ashland
Central Virginia Masterworks Chorale
Ryan J. Tibbetts directing
other artists TBA
Poulenc: Gloria
Sarah Quartel: “A Winter Day”
Alan Bullard: “A Light in the Stable”
$20
http://cvamc.org

Dec. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Laurel Street at Floyd Avenue, Richmond
Cathedral Choir
Daniel Sañez directing
Advent Lessons and Carols
free; tickets required
(804) 359-5651
http://richmondcathedral.org

Dec. 13 (8 p.m.)
Cosby High School, 14300 Fox Club Parkway, Midlothian
Central Virginia Wind Symphony
Mike Goldberg directing
Bill Fitzgerald, host
“Holiday Spectacular”
“ ’Twas the Night before Christmas”
John Porter, narrator
holiday music TBA
free
(804) 342-8797
http://www.thewindsymphony.com

Dec. 13 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 14 (2 & 8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Lloyd Butler conducting
Celtic Woman, guest stars
“White Christmas Symphony Tour”
$33-$137
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 14 (4 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
American Festival Pops Orchestra
Peter Wilson conducting
“Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season”
$36-$60
(703) 993-2787
http://cfa.gmu.edu

Dec. 15 (1 p.m.)
Dec. 24 (11 a.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Choral Arts Society of Washington
Choral Arts Brass Ensemble
Michele Fowlin conducting
“A Family Christmas”
$23-$64
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 15 (4 p.m.)
Dec. 21 (1 & 4 p.m.)
Dec. 22 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
The Washington Chorus
Eugene Rogers directing
Suzzette Ortiz, vocals
Side-by-Side High School Choirs
National Capital Brass & Percussion
“A Candlelight Christmas”
$17-$126
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 16 (11 a.m.)
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Laurel Street at Floyd Avenue, Richmond
Three Notch’d Road
holiday luncheon concert
lunch follows performance
free; registration required
(804) 359-5651
http://richmondcathedral.org

Dec. 16 (7 p.m.)
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Johnny Gandelsman, violin
James Wilson, cello
“Bach by Candlelight”
J.S. Bach: sonatas, partitas TBA for solo violin, solo cello
sold out; waiting list
(804) 304-6312
http://cmscva.org

Dec. 16 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program:
String Sinfonietta
Camerata Strings
Youth Concert Orchestra
conductors TBA
program TBA
free
(804) 788-1212
http://richmondsymphony.com

Dec. 16 (7 p.m.)
Dec. 24 (2 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Choral Arts Society of Washington & orchestra
Marie Bucoy-Calavan directing
“O Night Divine!”
$23-$114
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 16 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, 10 First St. SE, Washington
Barbara Hannigan, soprano
Bertrand Chamayou, piano
Messiaen: “Chants de terre et de ciel”
Scriabin: “Poème-nocturne,” Op. 61
Scriabin: “Vers la flamme,” Op. 72
John Zorn: “Jumalattaret”
free; tickets required via http://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/
(202) 707-5507
http://www.loc.gov/events/concerts-from-the-library-of-congress/concerts/upcoming-concerts/

Dec. 17 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Key’Mon Murrah, countertenor
Brian Zeger, piano
program TBA
$44-$45
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 18 (7:30 p.m.)
St. Bede Catholic Church, 3686 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg
Dec. 19 (7 p.m.)
Chesapeake Conference Center, 700 Conference Center Drive
Dec. 20 (7 p.m.)
Churchland High School, 4301 Cedar Lane, Portsmouth
Dec. 21 (7:30 p.m.)
Historic Palace Theatre, 305 Mason Ave., Cape Charles
Virginia Symphony Brass
“Holiday Brass”
$15-$79 (Williamsburg); $40 (Cape Charles); free (Chesapeake, Portsmouth)
(757) 892-6366
http://virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 18 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Fei Tong, violin
Canjingjing Cui, soprano
Huiping Cai, piano
“Hopeful Harmony: Celebrating Ethnocultural Diversity through Music”
Chinese works & arrangements TBA
$30-$50
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 18 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 19 (8 p.m.)
Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, 10 First St. SE, Washington
Pacifica Quartet
“Stradivari Anniversary”
George Walker: “Lyric for Strings”
George Crumb: “Black Angels”
Ives: Quartet No. 2
Barber: Quartet, Op. 11 – II: Adagio
Dvořák: Quartet in F major, Op. 96 (“American”)
free; tickets required via http://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/
(202) 707-5507
http://www.loc.gov/events/concerts-from-the-library-of-congress/concerts/upcoming-concerts/

Dec. 19 (7:30 p.m.)
Regent University Theater, 1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach
Dec. 20 (7:30 p.m.)
First Baptist Church, 12716 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News
Dec. 21 (7:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Anthony Parnther conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
Jennifer Lindsay, soprano
Maria Dominique Lopez, mezzo-soprano
Orson Van Gay II, tenor
Shyheim Selvan Hinnant, bass-baritone
$15-$119
(757) 892-6366
http://virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 19 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Fortas Chamber Music Concerts:
Miró Quartet
Haydn: Quartet in G major, Op. 77, No. 1
Caroline Shaw: “Microfictions [Volume 1]”
Beethoven: Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131
$57-$58
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 19 (7:30 p.m.)
Dec. 20 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 21 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 22 (1 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Masaaki Suzuki conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
Jone Martínez, soprano
Reginald Mobley, countertenor
Lunga Eric Hallam, tenor
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
University of Maryland Concert Choir
$17-$117
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Dec. 21 (2:30 & 7:30 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Oratorio Society of Virginia
Michael Slon directing
“Christmas at the Paramount”
Britten: “A Ceremony of Carols”
other works TBA
$29-$54
(434) 979-1333
http://theparamount.net

Dec. 21 (7:30 p.m.)
Dec. 22 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Anthony Blake Clark conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
Aundi Marie Moore, soprano
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano
Norman Shankle, tenor
Jorell Williams, baritone
Baltimore Choral Arts Society
$39-$109
(301) 581-5100
http://strathmore.org

Dec. 22 (4 p.m.)
Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 8 N. Laurel St., Richmond
Grace & Holy Trinity Chancel Choir
Elizabeth Melcher Davis directing
Stanley M. Baker, organ
Festival of Christmas Lessons and Carols
free
(804) 359-5628
http://ghtc.org

Dec. 22 (5 p.m.)
All Saints Episcopal Church, 8787 River Road, Richmond
All Saints combined choirs
director TBA
Festival of Lessons and Carols
free
(804) 288-7811
http://www.allsaintsrvamusic.com/concerts-all-saints

Dec. 23 (6 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
“Messiah” sing-along
Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra
Nancia D’Alimonte conducting
Alia Waheed, soprano
Marquita Raley-Cooper, mezzo-soprano
Wayne Jennings, tenor
Darrick Speller, baritone
College Park Chorale
Congressional Chorus
Rockville Chorus
Vocal Arts of Fairfax
free; registration required
(800) 444-1324
http://kennedy-center.org

Jan. 3 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Episcopal Church, 214 W. Beverley St., Staunton
Jan. 4 (4 p.m.)
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 7599 Rockfish Gap Turnpike (U.S. 250 west), Greenwood
Jan. 5 (4 p.m.)
Grace Episcopal Church, 5607 Gordonsville Road, Keswick
Three Notch’d Road
Peter Walker directing
“Twelfth Night in Italy”
works TBA by Monteverdi, Corelli, Vivaldi, Alessandro Scarlatti
$30
(434) 409-3424
http://tnrbaroque.org

Jan. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Laurel Street at Floyd Avenue, Richmond
Cathedral Schola Cantorum
Relic Ensemble
Daniel Sañez conducting
“What the Shepherds Said: a Christmas Sojourn”
free; tickets required
(804) 359-5651
http://richmondcathedral.org

Jan. 8 (7:30 p.m.)
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Laurel Street at Floyd Avenue, Richmond
Daniel Stipe, organ
program TBA
free; tickets required
(804) 359-5651
http://richmondcathedral.org