November 29, 2007

Here a carol, there a carol
This year, there’s no shortage of local holiday concerts
By Jeff Rapsis jrapsis@hippopress.com

The New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra is no longer with us, but the annual tide of holiday-themed classical concerts is still ready to inundate southern New Hampshire. Here’s a brief look at some concerts of note:

• Saturday, Dec. 1, & Sunday, Dec. 2: Manchester Choral Society. “From Heaven Above” is the theme of this year’s Christmas Tapestry concert. The group, led by conductor Dan Perkins and joined by singers from Manchester West High School, tackles a program of wonderful (and seldom-heard) works for chorus in two performances at Manchester’s St. Joseph Cathedral. Saturday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 3, at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $20 at the door or in advance; call 472-6627 or visit mcsnh.org.

• Saturday, Dec. 8, & Sunday, Dec. 9: Concord Chorale. The Capitol City’s classical chorus hits the holidays with two performances of “Sounding Joy!” Conductor Ryan Turner leads the group, augmented by brass players, in an “English Christmas” themed program. Two shows at South Congregational Church, 27 Pleasant St., in Concord: Saturday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 9, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 to $20; call 224-0770 or visit concordchorale.org.

• Sunday, Dec. 9: Nashua Symphony. The Gate City’s orchestra celebrates the season with a cabaret-style program on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 4 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in south Nashua. Guest conductor Robert C. Babb is joined by guest soprano soloist Diane Cushing, director of the Nashua Symphony Chorus, for a program of holiday favorites. Note the afternoon start time! Tickets cost $20 to $50; call 595-9156 or visit nashuasymphony.org.

• Saturday, Dec. 15: Boston Pops: If you’ve got money to blow and don’t care about supporting the local music scene, then the annual visit of the Boston Pops Orchestra to Manchester’s cavernous Verizon Wireless Arena is for you. It’s Saturday, Dec. 15, at 7:30 p.m. and features the group led by Keith Lockhart battling the hockey arena acoustics. Tickets cost $41 to $66; visit the arena box office or www.ticketmaster.com. As an alternative plan, just send cash to Symphony Hall in Boston and save yourself the trouble of attending.

• Sunday, Dec. 16: Granite State Symphony Orchestra: A week after his Nashua gig (see above), Robert C. Babb leads the Concord-based group in a traditional Christmas pops concert where even Santa gets a chance to conduct. The concert, on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 3 p.m., is fun for all, and usually sells out Concord’s city auditorium. Tickets cost $16 to $18; call 226-4776 or visit gsso.org.

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