Not-To-Miss Holiday Arts Events in Westchester

Through December 30
Decorated Glenview Mansion presented by Hudson River Museum

Hudson River Museum (HRM)’s Glenview Mansion will be decked out in Victorian splendor for the holidays. A highlight this year will be dollhouse decorations. Guests can tour the house in all its glory – with trees, garland and festive lights to bring good cheer to the turn-of-the-century space. Tours are available on Wednesdays through Sunday at 1pm and 3pm. Guests can walk through all day on Saturdays and Sundays. Two “Live Radio Theatre” productions of A Christmas Carol will take place on December 10. HRM.ORG

Holiday Sing-Alongs presented by The Chappaqua Orchestra (December 3)
and New Westchester Symphony (December 4)

Along with caroling and decking the halls, holiday sing-alongs are a well-established tradition of the season. This tradition is being upheld by The Chappaqua Orchestra at Robert. E. Bell Middle School on December 3. The concert will be followed by a Christmas tree lighting at Horace Greeley House and a reception at the New Castle Community Center. The next day, New Westchester Symphony will hold its 5th annual Messiah sing-along with full orchestral accompaniment at the Briarcliff Congregational Church. Participation is key, as there will be entire choruses and arias sung completely by the audience. Guests will “fa la la” the whole way home. CHAPPAQUAORCHESTRA.ORG | NEWSYMPHONY.ORG

December 2 and December 4
Messiah and Three Nativity Carols presented by The New Choral Society

New Choral Society (NCS) presents a holiday favorite, Handel’s Messiah. The familiar and uplifting choruses of the oratorio have become a tradition of the holiday season and of NCS’s repertoire, and will be complemented by Stephen Paulus’s Three Nativity Carols. Conducted by founder and Artistic Director Dr. John T. King, this professional-level community chorus will perform surrounded by the impressive acoustics of Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale. NEWCHORALSOCIETY.ORG

December 3
A Dickens of a Holiday presented by Wainright House

Wainright House starts the season off with “A Dickens of a Holiday” – a full day of family-friendly activities. Floral designers will decorate the 20th century chateaux, enhancing the charm of its Rye location. A holiday shopping boutique, carolers by the tree, children’s arts and crafts, photographs with Santa and a horse-drawn wagon ride will round out this December 3 experience. WAINRIGHT.ORG

December 9-30
Mr. Dickens Tells A Christmas Carol at Lyndhurst presented by M&M Performing Arts Company

This holiday season, guests will experience A Christmas Carol as though Charles Dickens himself were reading it. This storytelling event recreates the beloved novella in the same way that the author performed it during in the late 1800s. Michael Muldoon will portray Dickens and tell the timeless tale as guests travel throughout the main floor of Lyndhurst mansion’s beautifully decorated rooms, “meeting” its various characters. With different voices and styles given to each character, guests will hear about Ebenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly man who is guided on a journey of transformation by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. MMPACI.COM

December 10
Santa Visits the Rosen House presented by Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts

Holiday cheer will welcome the whole family to Caramoor’s Mediterranean-style Rosen House on December 10. Children will delight in adventures like “I Spy Santa or Two in the Music Room” before a cheerful holiday sing-along concert, during which Santa will make a very special appearance. Parents are encouraged to bring cameras to capture their children’s encounters with Jolly St. Nick. A snack of milk and cookies will then be served in the cloisters. CARAMOOR.ORG

December 15
Ronnie Spector’s Best Christmas Party Ever! presented by Tarrytown Music Hall

Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, has defined many of the Christmas hits that have become standards for today’s radio playlists. The group’s lead singer Ronnie Spector, and her trademark vocals from the 60s, will return to the Tarrytown Music Hall stage with her popular holiday show on December 15. The show, “Best Christmas Party Ever!,” is named after her 2010 album that contains five new songs to complement her previous holiday hits – Sleigh Ride, Frosty The Snowman, and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, all among the top-played Christmas songs. TARRYTOWNMUSICHALL.COM

December 15
Hip Hop Nutcracker presented by Performing Arts Center at Purchase College

The Hip Hop Nutcracker tells the classic story of The Nutcracker from a whole new angle. Tchaikovsky’s classic score is re-imagined with an on-stage DJ and electric violinist in a story set to take place in contemporary New York City. A dozen professional dancers take to the stage with an interpretation of the story, directed & choreographed by Jennifer Weber, which involves energetic hip-hop choreography. As far removed from a classic rendition as this production may seem, the full-length show celebrates the same important themes as the original work – love, community and the magic of the holiday season. ARTSCENTER.ORG

December 15-January 1
The Gift of the Magi presented by Schoolhouse Theater

The Gift of the Magi, based on the short story written by O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), will be presented by Schoolhouse Theater from December 15 through January 1. The sentimental story with a strong moral standing tells the tale of how a young couple deals with the struggle of buying Christmas gifts for one another despite not having much money to spend on them. The story, directed by the theater’s Artistic Director Bram Lewis, includes a classic O. Henry twist ending. Performances, taking place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees, include refreshments and holiday carols. SCHOOLHOUSETHEATER.ORG

December 17
The Nutcracker Ball presented by Ballet des Amériques

For the sixth year, Ballet des Amériques will present The Nutcracker Ball, a weekend of in-house performances in Port Chester. Students from the Conservatory will present excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Adapted and restaged with substantial choreographic input from choreographer and director Carole Alexis, the performance also pays tribute to the ballet’s original choreographers, Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Professional dancers will also perform original pieces from the company’s repertoire. Performances on December 17 will be followed by a reception. BALLETDESAMERIQUES.COM

December 19
Multi-Holiday Musical Celebration presented by Sound Shore Chorale
Sound Shore Chorale will ring in the winter season with its annual multi-holiday musical celebration concert on December 19. Under the direction of Artistic Director Richard Slade, and accompanied by pianist Diane Guernsey, the chorus will sing fun, light-hearted songs of the Christmas, Hanukkah and Winter Solstice seasons, such as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The concert will take place at Ossie Davis Theatre at the New Rochelle Library. For more info, email:
INFO@SOUNDSHORECHORALE.ORG.

A version of this article first appeared in the December 2016 / January 2017 issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.