The Thanksgiving Intermezzo column showcased holiday concerts and events taking place this month, including performances by I Cantori di Carmel, Pacific Repertory Theatre and Chanticleer, for which tickets are still available. More concert bounty just came to my attention happening over the next two weekends.
The Pacific Grove Pops Orchestra presents its “Sounds of the Season” holiday concert Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Pacific Grove Performing Arts Center on Forest Avenue. Artistic director and music educator Barbara Priest leads the ensemble in an uplifting program of seasonal gems, including “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” “Sleigh Ride,” “A Bright New Day,” familiar carols, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s riveting version of “Appalachian Snowfall,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and more.
PG Pops is an intergenerational orchestral community with members ranging from middle schoolers to octogenarians who learn, grow and perform alongside professional musicians. The concert is free to the public. For more information see www.pgpopsorchestra.com.
Renowned Carmel bard and storyteller Taelen Thomas presents a “Celtic Christmas Concert” at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula. He is joined by Shannon Warto, whom he describes as “a red-headed, Irish-blooded, natural-born Celtic songbird.” Thomas will perform selections from Dylan Thomas’s masterpiece, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” along with stirring tellings of the stories behind other holiday classics. Shannon brightens the air with her Celtic music and songs of the season. For tickets and more information call (831) 624-7404. Tickets are available online through PayPal at uucmp.org, at Bookmark Music or at the door. The concert is a fundraiser for the church.
Skeletons of the Opera, a benefit concert for I Cantori and All Saints Church in Carmel, takes place Monday at 7 p.m. Harpsichordists Caitlyn Koester and Elliot Figg will perform a rare four-hands program, an intimate and exhilarating look at the skeleton of Baroque opera. Stripped down to its essential colors, the music becomes vibrant, transparent, and full of character, revealing the expressive architecture at the heart of this repertoire. For tickets and information see www.icantori.org or call (408) 644-8012.
Cantiamo! presents its recurring “Concert for a Winter’s Eve” at the Carmel Mission on Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. Enjoy works by eminent living composers with whom Cantiamo! has worked and those who have written compositions specifically for the ensemble. The program, directed by Cheryl Anderson, includes Morten Lauridsen’s “Mid-Winter Songs,” Eric Whitacre’s “Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine” and the traditional Gloucestershire Wassail, among others. Cantiamo! attracts top singers from the Central Coast area with its reputation for bold programming, beauty, passion, precision, and vitality. Tickets are available through the Cabrillo Box Office at https://cabrillovapa.universitytickets.com
As previously mentioned, I Cantori will sing Handel’s Messiah in Carmel, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. at the Carmel Mission Basilica. The chorus is known for its expressive performances of all eras and its elegant mastery of Baroque style.
“A Chanticleer Christmas,” a longtime holiday tradition, returns to the Carmel Mission Dec. 22 for performances at 6 p.m. and at 8:30 p.m. For tickets and information see www.chanticleer.org or call (415) 252-8589.
“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Musical” plays at Carmel’s Outdoor Forest Theatre through Dec 21. For tickets and information call (831) 622-0100 or see www.pacrep.org.
