Radio: Habsburg Sock Hop returns

To usher out 2016, the third annual Habsburg Sock Hop – our more expansive take on the traditional Viennese New Year’s program of Strauss waltzes. We’ll feature several Strauss favorites, and contrast them with the waltz’s hill-country folk ancestor, the Ländler,
as it was employed by composers over three generations. And we’ll
sample folk dances from
other lands in the sprawling, multi-ethnic empire the Habsburg dynasty once ruled in Central Europe and the Balkans – Hungarian, Czech, Polish, Romanian, Jewish, Roma – alongside works, from the baroque to the modern, in which composers adapted those dances.

Dec. 31
1-5 p.m.
1800-2200 GMT/UTC
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://www.wdce.org

Johann Strauss II: “Kaiser-Walzer”
London Symphony Orchestra/
John Georgiadis
(LSO Live)

Josef Lanner:
“Dornbacher Ländler”
Die Eipeldauer
(Preiser)

Haydn: Symphony No. 88
in G major – III: Menuetto
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra/
Ivor Bolton
(Oehms Classics)

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 –
II: Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra/
Michael Tilson Thomas
(SFS Media)

Johann Strauss I:
“Alte und neue Tempête”
Camerata Cassovia
(Naxos)

Rossini: “William Tell” –
Final du Divertissement
Giuseppe Verdi Symphony
Orchestra, Milan/
Riccardo Chailly
(Decca)

Johann Strauss II: “Künstler-Quadrille”
Slovak State Philharmonic, Košice/
Johannes Wildner
(Naxos)

Past Masters:
Brahms: waltzes, Op. 39, Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 15
Dinu Lipatti &
Nadia Boulanger,
piano four-hands
(recorded 1937)
(EMI Classics)

Johann Strauss II: “Seid umschlungen Millionen”
Vienna Philharmonic/Willi Boskovsky
(Decca)

Past Masters:
Kodály: “Dances of Galanta”
London Symphony Orchestra/
István Kertész
(recorded 1964)
(Decca Eloquence)

traditional
(Collection Uhrovska):
“Visel som”
“Acha ma myla”
C 298
“Ksobassu Nota”
(arrangements by
Matthias Maute)
David Greenberg, violin
Carmen Genest, voice
Ensemble Caprice/Matthias Maute
(Analekta)

traditional
(Anna Keczer Szirmay Collection):
Hungarian baroque dances
Collegium Musicum Budapest
(Hungaroton)

Haydn: Quartet in D major, Op. 20, No. 4 –
III: Menuet alla Zingarese
Daedalus Quartet
(Bridge)

Liszt:
“Hungarian Rhapsody” No. 19
(“Csárdas nobles”)
Leslie Howard, piano
(Hyperion)

Past Masters:
Brahms: Piano Quartet
in G minor, Op. 25 –
IV: Rondo alla Zingerese
(arrangement by
Arnold Schoenberg)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/
Robert Craft
(recorded 1964)
(Sony Classical)

traditional:
“Seremoj és Románca”
Apollo Chamber Ensemble
(Navona)

Johann Strauss II:
“Éljen a Magyar!” Polka
Anima Eterna Orchestra/
Jos van Immerseel
(Zig Zag Territories)

Smetana:
“The Bartered Bride” –
Polka
Furiant
“Dance of the Comedians”
Cleveland Orchestra/Christoph von Dohnányi
(Decca)

Dvořák: Bagatelles, Op. 47
Josef Suk & Ivan Ženatý, violins
Jan Talich, viola
Jiří Bárta, cello
Josef Hála, harmonium
(Supraphon)

traditional:
“Wallachian Lament”
Apollo Chamber Ensemble
(Navona)

Janáček: “Lachian Dances”
Basel Symphony Orchestra/
Walter Weller
(Ars Musici)

Tchaikovsky:
“Swan Lake” – Mazurka
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Vasily Petrenko
(Avie)

Tchaikovsky:
“Eugene Onegin” –
Polonaise
Staatskapelle Dresden/
James Levine
(Philips)

Michal Kleofas Ogiński:
Polonaise in A minor (“Farewell to the Homeland”)
Mazurka in D major
Polonaise in G minor (“Sirotinuszka”)
Iwo Zaluski, piano
(Olympia)

Chopin: 3 mazurkas, Op. 59
“Polonaise-Fantasie”
in A flat major, Op. 61
Martha Argerich, piano
(Deutsche Grammophon)

traditional:
“Hora de ascultare”
“Hora mare”
“Hora lui Dragol”
Tcha Limberger, violin
Hesperion XXI/
Jordi Savall
(AliaVox)

Past Masters:
Enescu: “Romanian Rhapsody” No. 1
London Symphony Orchestra/Antal Doráti
(recorded 1960)
(Mercury)

Mozart's many 'units'

Decca/Deutsche Grammophon this year has sold 6,250 copies of its “Mozart 225: The New Complete Edition,” a boxed set of 200 compact discs, leading at least one math-challenged compiler to list it as the best-selling recording of 2016, The Washington Post’s Todd C. Frankel reports:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/12/27/no-mozart-did-not-have-have-2016s-best-selling-cd-what-really-happened-is-even-more-surprising/

If you multiply 6,250 by 200, you get 1.25 million discs, which exceeds the 1.2 million CDs of “25” by Adele, the British pop artist, sold during 2016. This prompted Billboard magazine to call the Mozart set the year’s best-seller, Frankel writes.

Then realization dawned that a multi-disc set is counted as one “unit,” and the magazine revised its report to rate the big-box-o’-Mozart as a “surprisingly hot seller.”

The set is priced at $350 to $500 by various online retail outlets. That works out to $2 or so per disc, which looks like a bargain until you consider that we’re talking about every piece that Mozart is known to have written, juvenilia, scatalogical canons and other marginal material included. The per-disc price rises if you only count the music you’d care to hear more than once.

(One online retailer estimates the weight of the set at 26 pounds. That’s quite a lift. Put a grip on it, and you could market it as fitness equipment – “Curling Mozart.” Sales would skyrocket.)

The “what really happened is even more surprising” element of Frankel’s report is that the actual best-selling recording of 2016 was the Canadian rap artist Drake’s album “Views,” which sold just 300,000 CDs, but also racked up 1.2 million digital album sales, 5 million digital singles sales and 2.8 billion audio streams. That, by the permutations of Nielsen – the firm tallies record sales as well as broadcast ratings – translates to sales of nearly 4 million units.

(Wait – did you just read that roughly one-quarter of the population of the planet bought this album via an audio stream? No. A tech-savvy friend explains that some more plausible number of people paid streaming services 2.8 billion times to hear the recording, many of them paying to hear it more than once. Drake has not inherited the Earth. Yet.)

In any case, sales of audio streams dwarfing sales of CDs and digital albums are a harbinger of recorded music’s future.

Ancient resonance recreated

A team of Stanford University scientists and the vocal ensemble Capella Romana recreate the sound of liturgical music in Hagia Sophia, the mother church of Orthodox Christianity in Byzantine Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), converted to a mosque after the Ottoman Turks conquered the city in 1453 and turned into a museum in 1935.

The vast interior of the structure, consecrated in 537 A.D. and for nearly 1,000 years the largest church in the Christian world, has unique acoustics. Sounds reverberate for nearly 11 seconds, four or five times longer than in most concert halls.

For a recent performance at Stanford, Capella Romana’s singers wore headphones to hear a simulation of the sanctuary’s acoustics; their voices were then put through the same audio simulator in the concert hall, giving listeners the sensation of hearing the program of early Christian music in Hagia Sophia.

Kat Eschner reports on the project, with a video-audio link, on Smithsonian.com:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-hear-hagia-sophias-sublime-acoustics-without-trip-istanbul-180961563/

(via http://www.artsjournal.com)

Letter V Classical Radio this week

A special show at a special time: Sampling some of
the finest recordings of 2016 – which, as you’ll hear, turned out to be a banner year for piano discs.

Dec. 28
11 a.m.-3 p.m. EST
1600-2000 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://www.wdce.org

Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, K. 447
Pip Eastop, natural horn
Hanover Band/
Anthony Halstead
(Hyperion)

Peteris Vasks:
Cello Concerto No. 2
(“Presence”)
Sol Gabetta, cello
Amsterdam Sinfonietta/
Candida Thompson
(Sony Classical)

Past Masters:
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 28
Martha Argerich, piano
(recorded 1960)
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Tommaso Vitali:
Chaconne in G minor
Jessica Lee, violin
Reiko Uchida, piano
(Azica)

Franck:
Prelude, Chorale and Fugue
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
(Decca)

J.S. Bach: Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Rachel Barton Pine, violin
(Avie)

Beethoven:
Sonata in D major,
Op. 10, No. 3
Lucas Debargue, piano
(Sony Classical)

Ginastera: “Pampeana” No. 1, Op. 16
Gil Shaham, violin
Orli Shaham, piano
(Oberlin Music)

Liszt: “Transcendental Études” –
IX: Ricordanza
X: Allegro agitato molto
XI: “Harmonies du soir”
Kirill Gerstein, piano
(Myrios Classics)

Arthur Bird:
Reverie, Op. 37, No. 4
Artis Wodehouse, harmonium
(Raven Recordings)

Berlioz:
“Symphonie fantastique”
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra/
Daniel Harding
(Harmonia Mundi)

Merry sinuses

Katherine Needleman, onetime principal oboist of the Richmond Symphony, now principal oboist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, posts a novel holiday greeting, passed along by Norman Lebrecht on Slipped Disc:

http://slippedisc.com/2016/12/a-principal-oboe-plays-jingle-bells-through-her-nose/

Letter V Classical Radio this week

For Christmas, one of the greatest recordings of Handel’s “Messiah,” made in the 1990s by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and Brandenburg Consort, Stephen Cleobury conducting, followed by a sublime modern Christmas work, “Lauda per la Natività del Signore” (“Laud for the Nativity”) by Ottorino Respighi, performed by the Berlin Radio Choir and Polyphonia Ensemble Berlin.

Dec. 21
10 a.m.-1 p.m. EST
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://www.wdce.org

Handel: “Messiah”
Lynne Dawson, soprano
Hilary Summers, contralto
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Alastair Miles, bass
Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Brandenburg Consort/
Stephen Cleobury
(Argo)

Respighi: “Lauda per
la Natività del Signore”
Yeree Suh, soprano
Kristine Larissa Funkhauser, mezzo-soprano
Krystian Adam, baritone
Berlin Radio Choir
Polyphonia Ensemble Berlin/Maris Sirmais
(Carus)

Chamber Music Society reviewed

My review for the Richmond Times-Dispatch of the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia’s winter baroque concerts, Dec. 11 at Wilton House Museum and Dec. 13 at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter:

http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_2b0ea75a-7cd0-5cca-ad81-d5f68959a299.html

Letter V Classical Radio this week

In the first of two programs for the Christmas season, a sampler of compositions and carols from England, France, Germany, Spain and early America.

Dec. 14
10 a.m.-1 p.m. EST
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://www.wdce.org

Michel Corrette: “Sinfonie de Noël” No. 3
La Fantasia/Rien Voskuilen
(Brilliant Classics)

Michael Praetorius:
“Terpsichore” – selections
“Il dulci jubilo”
trad. English:
“Good Christian men rejoice”
Apollo’s Singers
Apollo’s Musettes
Apollo’s Fire/
Jeannette Sorrell
(Avie)

Dieterich Buxtehude:
Cantata, “Nun danket alle Gott,” BuxWV 79
Bettina Pahn, Miriam Meyer &
Johannette Zomer, sopranos
Bogna Bartosz, alto
Patrick van Goethem, countertenor
Jörg Dürmüller &
Andreas Karasiak, tenors
Klaus Mertens &
Donald Bentvelsen, basses
Amsterdam Baroque Choir
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra/
Ton Koopman
(Challenge Classics)

Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto grosso in G minor,
Op. 6, No. 8 (“Christmas Concerto”)
Il Giardano Armonico/Giovanni Antonini
(Virgin Classics)

trad.: “Burst ye emerald gates”
William Billings: “Boston”
Daniel Read: “Sherburne”
John Jacob Niles:
“I wonder as I wander”
trad.: “Star in the East”
trad.: “Bonnie Doone”
trad.: “The Star of Bethlehem”
trad.: “Shepherds, Rejoice”
trad.: “Hallelujah”
trad.: “Adeste fidelis”
Anne Azéma, soprano
Daniel McCabe, baritone
Schola Cantorum of Boston
Chamber Choir of the Harvard-Radcliffe
Collegium Musicum
Boston Camerata/
Joel Cohen
(Erato)

Vaughan Williams: “Fantasia
on Christmas Carols”
Joseph Cullen, organ
City of London Sinfonia/
Richard Hickox
(Chandos)

Rodrigo: “Retablo de Navidad”
Raquel Lojendio, soprano
David Rubiera, baritone
Comunidad de Madrid Orchestra & Chorus/
José Ramón Encinar
(Naxos)

Poulenc: “Quatre motets
pour le temps de Noël”
Berlin Radio Choir/
Nicolas Fink
(Carus)

J.S. Bach: Magnificat
in E flat major, BWV 243a
Julia Doyle & Joanne Lunn, sopranos
Clare Wilkinson, mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Mulroy, tenor
Matthew Brook, bass-baritone
Dunedin Consort/John Butt
(Linn)

Michael Praetorius: “Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen”
Monteverdi Choir/John Eliot Gardiner
(Philips)

Lowell Mason: “Joy to the World”
Boston Camerata/Joel Cohen
(Erato)

Name change in Charlottesville

Ash Lawn Opera is changing its name to Charlottesville Opera.

The company, founded in 1978, formerly staged its productions in the boxwood garden of Ash Lawn, the home of James Monroe outside Charlottesville. Singers and audiences soon became accustomed to performances at the mercy of variable summer weather, and often with obbligato vocalizing by the peacocks resident on the grounds.

After 24 years of the troupe being supported by the College of William and Mary, which owns and operates Ash Lawn, organization and financing were assumed by the Ash Lawn Opera Festival Foundation, established in 2002.

In 2009, productions were moved to the Paramount Theater in downtown Charlottesville.

The company stages two productions each summer, and other performances and educational activities during the rest of the year. In March 2017, it will present the East Coast premiere of “Middlemarch in Spring,” an opera based on the George Eliot novel, composed by Allen Shearer with a libretto by Claudia Stevens, and will stage Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical “Oklahoma!” next July and August.

For more information on the company, visit http://www.ashlawnopera.org

Letter V Classical Radio this week

On the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, music made in America during World War II. Not only by native-born composers – some of the greatest wartime scores were the work of exiles and émigrés.

Dec. 7
10 a.m.-1 p.m. EST
1500-1800 UTC/GMT
WDCE, University of Richmond
90.1 FM
http://www.wdce.org

Past Masters:
Copland: “Fanfare for the Common Man”
London Symphony
Orchestra members/
Aaron Copland
(recorded 1968)
(Sony Classical)

Randall Thompson:
“The Testament of Freedom”
(arrangement by John Corley)
Turtle Creek Chorale
Dallas Wind Symphony/
Timothy Seelig
(Reference Recordings)

Roy Harris:
“American Ballads,” Set 1
Richard Zimdars, piano
(Albany)

Kurt Weill:
“Four Walt Whitman Songs”
Steven Kimbrough, baritone
Dalton Baldwin, piano
(Arabesque)

Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Quartet No. 3
Flesch Quartet
(ASV)

Past Masters:
Bartók:
Concerto for Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/
Fritz Reiner
(recorded 1955)
(RCA Victor)

Barber: Symphony No. 2 –
II: Andante, un poco mosso (“Night Flight”)
Detroit Symphony Orchestra/
Neeme Järvi
(Chandos)

Martinů: Symphony No. 3
Czech Philharmonic/
Václav Neumann
(Supraphon)

William Schuman:
“Prayer in Time of War”
Seattle Symphony Orchestra/
Gerard Schwarz
(Naxos)

December calendar

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 single-ticket prices are listed; senior, student/youth, group and other discounts may be offered.

* In the spirit of the season . . . It’s all good.


Dec. 2 (7:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony
Erin Freeman conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
Youngmi Kim, soprano
Jessica Renfro, mezzo-soprano
Marco Panuccio, tenor
Michael Dean, bass-baritone
Richmond Symphony Chorus
$25-$50
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Dec. 2 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Dec. 10 (8 p.m.)
First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park St., Charlottesville
Virginia Glee Club
Frank Albinder directing
The Virginia Gentlemen (Dec. 2)
holiday program TBA
$15
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Dec. 2 (7:30 p.m.)
Salem Civic Center, 1001 Roanoke Boulevard
Dec. 3 (4 p.m.)
Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
Roanoke Symphony
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Joy Lynn Jacobs, soprano
Roanoke Symphony Chorus
Roanoke Valley Children’s Choir
holiday pops program TBA
$32-$75
(540) 343-9127
http://rso.com

Dec. 3 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 4 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony Pops
Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting
Sarah Kate Watson, soprano
Richmond Symphony Chorus
City Singers Youth Choirs
“Let It Snow!”
holiday music TBA
$25-$50
(800) 514-3849 (ETIX)
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Dec. 3 (8 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Ash Lawn Opera:
Jay Hunter Morris, tenor & guitar
opera arias, jazz and country songs TBA
question-and-answer session follows concert
$29-$44
(434) 979-1333
http://www.theparamount.net

Dec. 3 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 4 (3:30 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia
Michael Slon conducting
University Singers
Daniel Sender, violin
Stephanie Nakasian, vocals
“Family Holiday Concerts”
works TBA by Handel, Vivaldi, Leroy Anderson, others
$10-$45
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Dec. 3 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 4 (2 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Virginia Opera
John Baril conducting
Rossini: “The Barber of Seville”
Will Liverman (Figaro)
Megan Marino (Rosina)
Andrew Owens (Count Almaviva)
Matthew Burns (Dr. Bartolo)
Christopher Job (Basilio)
Christine Suits (Berta)
André Chiang (Fiorello)
Michael Shell, stage director
in Italian, English captions
$54-$110
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://www.vaopera.org

Dec. 3 (7:30 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Edward Polochick conducting & harpsichord
Handel: “Messiah”
Jennifer O’Loughlin, soprano
Diana Moore, mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Luca Pisaroni, bass-baritone
Concert Artists of Baltimore Symphonic Chorale
$35-$99
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Dec. 4 (4 p.m.)
Trinity Lutheran Church, 2315 N. Parham Road, Richmond
Richmond Choral Society
Markus Compton directing
Christopher Martin, organ
Keith Tan, piano
instrumental ensemble
“Christmas with the Richmond Choral Society”
program TBA
$15 in advance, $18 at door
(804) 353-9582
http://www.richmondchoralsociety.org

Dec. 4 (5 and 8 p.m.)
Cannon Memorial Chapel, University of Richmond
UR Schola Cantorum & Women’s Chorale
Jeffrey Riehl & David Pedersen directing
Festival of Lessons and Carols
prelude with City Singers Youth Choirs
free
(804) 289-8980
http://modlin.richmond.edu

Dec. 4 (7 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center, Sixth and Grace streets, Richmond
Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program:
Youth Concert Orchestra
Christopher Moseley conducting
Camerata Strings
Rebecca Jilcott conducting
String Sinfonietta
Christie-Jo Adams conducting
works TBA by Sibelius, Brahms, Mozart, others
free
(804) 788-4717
http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Dec. 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Dec. 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Walnut Hills Baptist Church, 1014 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg
Cantori Choral Ensemble
Agnes French directing
Franz Biebl: “Ave Maria”
John Rutter: Magnificat
donation requested
(757) 220-5900
http://www.whbconline.org

Dec. 5 (7 p.m.)
James Center Atrium, Richmond
Richmond Philharmonic
Peter Wilson conducting
holiday pops program TBA
free
(804) 673-7400
http://www.richmondphilharmonic.org

Dec. 6 (7:30 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Choral Arts Society
The Women’s Choir
program TBA
$10
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music

Dec. 6 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
“Messiah,” sing-in
community singers & instrumentalists
Donald Loach directing
scores provided
$10
(434) 924-3376
http://music.virginia.edu/events

Dec. 6 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Nicholas Hersh conducting
Step Afrika! Dancers
“A Swinging Nutcracker à la Ellington”
Tchaikovsky: “The Nutcracker,” arranged by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn & Paul Murtha
$22.50-$60
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
http://www.strathmore.org

Dec. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
Family Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Fortas Chamber Music Concerts:
Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio
Ellen Taafe Zwilich: “Pas de Trios”
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 66
Schubert: Piano Trio in E flat major, D. 929
$59
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Dec. 8 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphony
Daniel Myssyk conducting
The Commonwealth Singers
Erin Freeman directing
Copland: “An Outdoor Overture”
Bizet: “Carmen” Suite No. 2
Poulenc: Gloria
$10
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music

Dec. 9 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU faculty and student musicians TBA
Holiday Gala
program TBA
$10; proceeds benefit The Doorway
(804) 828-6776
http://arts.vcu.edu/music

Dec. 9 (7 p.m.)
Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road, Richmond
Dec. 10 (7:30 p.m.)
Trinity Lutheran Church, 2315 N. Parham Road. Richmond
James River Singers
David Pedersen directing
Greater Richmond Children’s Choir
Hope Armstrong Erb directing
“An International Christmas”
Giovanni Gabrieli: “Hodie Christus Natus est”
Cecilia McDowell: “A Winter's Night Christmas Cantata”
Christopher Aspaas: “ ’Twas in the Moon of Wintertime”
Ben Allaway: “Tres Villancicos”
other works TBA
$15
(757) 814-5446
http://thejamesriversingers.org

Dec. 9 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Dec. 10 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 215 St. Paul’s Boulevard, Norfolk
Dec. 11 (7 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 S. Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Virginia Symphony Chorus
holiday pops program TBA
$25-$110
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 9 (7:30 p.m.)
Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
Blacksburg Master Chorale
“Christmas Classics”
program TBA
$25
(540) 231-5300
http://www.artscenter.vt.edu

Dec. 9 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 10 (2 and 8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra Pops
Steven Reineke conducting
Laura Osnes & Santino Fontana, vocals
“A Holiday Pops!”
program TBA
$24-$99
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Dec. 10 (7 p.m.)
Virginia Center Commons, 10101 Brook Road (U.S. 1 north), Glen Allen
Dec. 11 (3 p.m.)
Hershey Arts Center, Collegiate School, 103 N. Mooreland Road, Richmond
Central Virginia Wind Symphony
Mike Goldberg directing
Al Chez, trumpet (Dec. 11)
holiday program TBA
free
(804) 342-8797
http://www.thewindsymphony.com

Dec. 10 (7:30 p.m.)
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Laurel Street at Floyd Avenue, Richmond
Cathedral choirs & musicians
Daniel B. Sañez directing
Festival of Lessons and Carols
donations benefit The Renewal Projects
(804) 359-5651
http://www.richmondcathedral.org

Dec. 10 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
American Festival Pops Orchestra
Anthony Maiello conducting
“Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season”
program TBA
$33-$55
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://cfa.gmu.edu/calendar

Dec. 11 (4 p.m.)
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, 9201 W. Huguenot Road, Richmond
Second Sunday South of the James:
“Messiah” sing-along
Anne Carr Regan directing
soloists TBA
scores provided
rehearsal, 1 p.m. Dec. 10
donation requested
(804) 272-7514
http://bonairpc.org

Dec. 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Wilton House Museum, 215 S. Wilton Road, Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Mary Boodell, traverso flute
Adam Cockerham, lute
Minna Pensola & Antti Tikkanen, violins
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
“Baroque at Wilton”
program TBA
$35 (sold out; waiting list)
(804) 304-6312
http://cmscva.org

Dec. 11 (2 p.m.)
Dec. 17 (4 p.m.)
Dec. 20 (7 p.m.)
Dec. 21 (7 p.m.)
Dec. 22 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
The Washington Chorus
Julian Wachner directing
“A Candlelight Christmas”
program TBA
$18-$72
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Dec. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road, Richmond
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia:
Fiona Hughes, Minna Pensola & Antti Tikkanen, violins
Kyle Miller, viola
James Wilson, cello
Millie Martin, double-bass
Mary Boodell, traverso flute
Adam Cockerham, lute
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
Vivaldi: “The Four Seasons”
other Italian baroque works TBA
$25
(804) 304-6312
http://cmscva.org

Dec. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Shaftman Performance Hall, Jefferson Center, 541 Luck Ave. SW, Roanoke
Roanoke Symphony
David Stewart Wiley conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
Amy Cofield Williamson, soprano
Tara Bouknight, alto
John Hugo, tenor
Philip Bouknight, bass
Roanoke Symphony Chorus
$29-$52
(540) 343-9127
http://rso.com

Dec. 14 (7 p.m.)
Chesapeake Conference Center, 700 Conference Center Drive
Virginia Symphony Brass
“Holiday Brass”
program TBA
free
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 15 (8 p.m.)
Phi Beta Kappa Hall, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg
Virginia Symphony Brass
“Holiday Brass”
program TBA
$25-$65
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 15 (7 p.m.)
Dec. 16 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 17 (8 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Lawrence Cummings conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
soloists TBA
University of Maryland Concert Choir
$15-$89
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Dec. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road, Richmond
Dec. 18 (3 p.m.)
Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church, 201 Henry St., Ashland
Central Virginia Masterworks Chorale
Ryan Tibbetts directing
Daniel Stipe, organ
instrumental ensemble
“Sing We Joyous All Together”
Kristina Vasiliauskaite: Magnificat
John Gardner: “My Dancing Day”
Bob Chilcott: “The Shepherds’ Song”
Vaughan Williams: “Wassail Song”
carol sing-along
$10 in advance, $15 at door
(800) 838-3006
http://www.cvamc.org

Dec. 16 (8 p.m.)
First Baptist Church, 12716 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News
Dec. 17 (8 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk
Virginia Symphony
Robert Shoup conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
soloists TBA
Virginia Symphony Chorus
$25-$110
(757) 892-6366
http://www.virginiasymphony.org

Dec. 17 (2:30 and 7:30 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Oratorio Society of Central Virginia & orchestra
Michael Slon conducting
Handel: “Messiah” (Part 1 & “Hallelujah” Chorus)
Arianna Zukerman, soprano
Barbara Hollinshead, mezzo-soprano
Jordan Davidson, tenor
David Newman, baritone
Burley Middle School Bearettes Young Women’s Chorus (2:30)
Waynesboro High School Concert Choir (7:30)
$25-$49
(434) 979-1333
http://www.theparamount.net

Dec. 17 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Canadian Brass
“A Canadian Brass Christmas”
program TBA
$36-$60
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://cfa.gmu.edu/calendar

Dec. 17 (1 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Choral Arts Society of Washington & orchestra
Scott Tucker conducting
“A Family Christmas”
program TBA
$20-$45
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Dec. 17 (8 p.m.)
Dec. 18 (3 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
National Philharmonic
Stan Engebretson conducting
Handel: “Messiah”
Danielle Talamantes, soprano
Magdalena Wór, mezzo-soprano
Matthew Smith, tenor
Christòpheren Nomura, baritone
National Philharmonic Chorale
$34-$88
(301) 581-5100
http://www.strathmore.org

Dec. 18 (4 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Vienna Boys Choir
“Christmas in Vienna”
program TBA
$33-$55
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
http://cfa.gmu.edu/calendar

Dec. 18 (7 p.m.)
Dec. 19 (7 p.m.)
Dec. 24 (1 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Choral Arts Society of Washington
Scott Tucker directing
Ralph Alan Herndon, vocalist
“A Choral Arts Christmas”
program TBA
$15-$69
(800) 444-1324
http://www.kennedy-center.org

Dec. 19 (7:30 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
The Washington Chorus
Julian Wachner directing
“A Candlelight Christmas”
program TBA
$18-$72
(301) 581-5100
http://www.strathmore.org