Welcome to the winter holiday edition of Culture Picks. This will be my last post of the year, and it is chock full of pre- and post-holiday suggestions. Wishing you Happy Holidays and all the best for 2023. Make the arts a part of your celebrations this season…and every season!

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents
Artist Notes / Anthony Roth Costanzo
Premieres Friday, December 16, at noon
In this second episode, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo discusses his approach to Handel’s “Quella Fiamma” from Arminio.
Listen to “Artist Notes / Anthony Roth Costanzo” on the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center website

This Sunday @ The PAC
Westchester Philharmonic: Classical Nirvana
Sunday, December 18, 3:00 pm
Conductor Kazem Abdullah and guest soloist Anthony McGill on clarinet join The Phil to deliver an object lesson on why the art form has been indispensable for 350 years. For more information about the artists and repertoire, please visit westchesterphil.org
MENDELSSOHN | Hebrides Overture
WEBER | Clarinet Concerto No. 1
BIZET | Symphony in C
Please note that tickets are only available online; click here to purchase tickets.

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents
Kennedy Center Honors 2022
Wednesday, December 28, at 8pm
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has selected the 45th Honorees for lifetime artistic achievements: acclaimed actor and filmmaker George Clooney; contemporary Christian and pop singer-songwriter Amy Grant; legendary singer of soul, Gospel, R&B, and pop Gladys Knight; Cuban-born American composer, conductor, and educator Tania León; and iconic Irish rock band U2, comprised of band members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. The event took place Sunday, December 4th in the Kennedy Center Opera House; it will be televised on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
Learn more on the Kennedy Center website

New Year’s Eve Concert | Julia Bullock, Alan Gilbert and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra
Live from the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg
December 31 at 11am
Musical celebrations at the turn of the year: The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under Chief Conductor Alan Gilbert plays the traditional New Year’s Eve concert at the Elbphilharmonie. Soprano Julia Bullock sings Gershwin and Bonds. RICHARD STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier op. 59; GEORGE GERSHWIN “Somebody from Somewhere” from Delicious, “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, and  “Soon” from Strike Up the Band, MARGARET BONDS “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “Winter Moon”; LILI BOULANGER D’un matin de printemps; MAURICE RAVEL La valse.
Access the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra’s New Year’s Eve Concert livestream

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra @ The Purchase PAC
Change the Frame: Mussorgsky, Prokofiev & Hanna Benn
Renaud Capuçon, violin
January 22, 2023, at 3pm
This time of year, while joyous, can get a little hectic. But before you know it, the holiday season will have come and gone, and it will be time to exhale. We can think of few better ways to relax and regroup than to spend a wintery afternoon losing yourself to the sound of extraordinary music. On January 22, we invite you to join Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and guest soloist Renaud Capuçon in our Recital Hall for just such an afternoon. Treat yourself, or give a pair of tickets as a holiday gift. Or both, why not?
Buy tickets for “Orpheus: Change the Frame” on The Purchase PAC’s website

Hear Renaud Capuçon: Jules Massenet: Méditation from Thais ∙ Renaud Capuçon, violin ∙ Anne-Sophie Bertrand, harp. Recorded during the HR Symphony Concert in the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 10, 2022

@ARTE Concert presents
Daniel Hope, Sting & Guests – Christmas@Home
On-demand
In a special Christmas edition, Daniel Hope and guests perform a varied and atmospheric repertoire including traditional Christmas songs in new arrangements, classical works, and the hit song “Fields of Gold.”  Daniel Hope’s guests include British musician, composer, and living-legend, Sting; South African opera singer Golda Schultz; the winner of the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition, Bruce Liu from Canada;  Brazilian pianist Sylvia Thereza; Argentinian-British guitarist Dominic Miller; and the up-and-coming Leonkoro Quartet.
Watch “Daniel Hope, Sting & Guests” on YouTube

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents
Merry TUBACHRISTMAS
On-demand
2022 is the 49th year of Merry TUBACHRISTMAS events which are presented throughout the world. TUBACHRISTMAS was conceived in 1974 by Harvey Phillips as a tribute to his teacher and mentor William J. Bell, born on Christmas Day, 1902. Since the first TUBACHRISTMAS was conducted by Paul Lavalle in New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink, musicians of all ages have gathered annually to perform traditional Christmas music arranged by American composer Alec Wilder on the tuba and euphonium.
Watch “Merry TUBACHRISTMAS” on YouTube

Carnegie Hall presents
NYO Jazz Musicians Perform Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here”
On-demand
Members of NYO Jazz perform Vince Guaraldi’s holiday classic “Christmas Time Is Here” during the national youth ensembles’ July 2021 residency at Purchase College.  Each summer, Carnegie Hall’s national youth ensembles bring together the brightest young American instrumentalists for intensive training and performances on some of the world’s greatest stages. NYO Jazz is an ensemble of gifted young jazz musicians ages 16–19 who study with and learn from world-class jazz masters, showcasing the legacy and bright future of American jazz. Acclaimed trumpeter, composer, and educator Sean Jones serves as artistic director and bandleader. “Christmas Time is Here” by Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson.  Used by permission of Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc. (BMI)
NYO Jazz Musicians Perform Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here” on YouTube

Black Violin presents
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Official Music Video)
On-demand
This version of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is from Black Violin’s holiday album Give Thanks.
Watch the music video for “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” on YouTube

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents
CMS Front Row Mainstage: The Brandenburg Concertos
On-demand
Experience the peerless artistry of CMS’s annual holiday tradition, the Brandenburg Concertos. Premiered December 2020, with curated full-length HD concerts featuring archival video recordings woven together into never-before-heard concert pairings. Intermission features a Q&A with violist Paul Neubauer, double bassist Joseph Conyers, pianist Hyeyeon Park, and horn player Jennifer Montone.
CMS Watch “Front Row Mainstage: The Brandenburg Concertos” on YouTube

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Culture Picks is a bi-weekly feature celebrating the performing arts. The PAC’s 2022-2023 season kicked off on October 8 and cultural connoisseur and PAC staff member Coni Guhl is here to shine the spotlight on artists that will be a part of it. Each post will feature her curated selection of video, audio, and things to read about one of our artists, plus an occasional recommendation about other performing arts experiences that you just can’t miss. Enjoy!

All times are EDT unless otherwise noted.

Pictured: Sting and violinist Daniel Hope from Christmas@Home. Photo (c) Tobias Winkler.