Saint James Place is Your Home for the Holidays!
Seven-time Grammy®-winning saxophonist Paul Winter, with the Paul Winter Consort, headlines a month of family-friendly holiday activities, many of them free of charge, at Saint James Place in Great Barrington. The Paul Winter Consort’s “Winter Solstice Celebration” on December 20, 7pm is ALMOST SOLD OUT! Just Added: 3pm concert! Get your tickets today.
“Saint James Place has been the home for several of our arts partners’ concerts each December; this year we have more performances and activities than ever,” says Seth Keyes, Executive Director of Saint James Place. “When individuals and families plan their busy Decembers, we want them to think of Saint James Place as their home for the holidays.”
All events are listed at saintjamesplace.net.
Crescendo kicks off the month’s festivities with The Bach Experience on Saturday, December 6 @4:00pm. The program features Bach’s Christmas Cantata “Sweet Comfort“ BWV 151, his Mass in G minor BWV 235, and festive 16th century double choir motets. Crescendo offers two more baroque concerts: A Tapestry of Traditions on December 21, which unravels the history of Christmas carols and A Baroque Portrait, Sonatas for solo violin and basso continuo, and Suite in D minor for harpsichord by the French Baroque composer Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre on December 27.
Saint James Place is proud to participate in the Southern Berkshire Chamber’s Holiday Shop, Sip & Stroll on Saturday, December 13. The excitement begins at 2:00pm with the return of Charlie’s Trains, a holiday model train display for the whole family. At 3:00pm, the acclaimed Aston Magna Music Festival will welcome families for a live interactive performance. The Olga Dunn Dance Company will follow with Nutcracker Seedling, featuring excerpts from the Nutcracker Ballet, at 5:00pm. Finally, the Vocalis Youth Choir will provide the finale to the entire event with their annual Songs of the Season program in the Sanctuary at approximately 7:30pm (after the fireworks). Admission to all events during the Holiday Shop, Sip & Stroll are family friendly and free to the public.
Charlie’s Trains will also be presented free to the public on Sunday, December 14, 12:00pm until 5:00pm, in conjunction with the 3:00pm performance of In Dulci Jubilo, the 85-voice Berkshire Lyric Chorus program, featuring traditional and contemporary a cappella carols by Bach, Rachmaninoff, and others. Charlie’s Trains will continue to run on December 20, 2:00pm – 9:00pm and December 21, 3:00pm – 7:00pm.
The Paul Winter Consort returns for the popular Winter Solstice Celebration on Saturday, December 20 at 3:00pm & 7:00pm. This is a uniquely intimate solstice celebration, in contrast to the large-scale productions done for many years in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York featuring the beloved voice of Theresa Thomason, the star of their solstice celebrations for over 25 years.
Paul Winter says: “I was captivated by Saint James Place. The acoustics are heavenly, and the architecture is stunning. It is possibly the most exquisite small concert hall I’ve ever seen.” Tickets are on sale now at www.saintjamesplace.net
Calendar of Events
Sat, Dec 6, 4pm
Crescendo: The Bach Experience—Ticketed
Tues, Dec 9, 7pm
Berkshire Voices: Play Reading TBD—Free
Sat, Dec 13
All events free and open to the public
2-7:30 pm—Charlie’s Trains: Winter Model Train Display
3pm—Aston Magna Family Day
5pm—Olga Dunn Dance Company: Nutcracker Seedling
7:30pm—Vocalis Youth Choir: Songs of the Season
Sun, Dec 14
12pm – 5pm—Charlie’s Trains : Winter Model Train Display—Free
3pm—Berkshire Lyric: In Dulci Jubilo—Ticketed
Sat, Dec 20
3 pm & 7pm—Paul Winter Consort Winter Solstice Celebration—Ticketed
2pm – 9pm—Charlie’s Trains : Winter Model Train Display—Free
Sun, Dec 21
3pm-7pm—Charlie’s Trains : Winter Model Train Display—Free
4pm—Crescendo: A Tapestry of Traditions—Ticketed
Tues, Dec 23
6pm—Renaissance Church presents: A Christmas Candlelight Service—Free
Sat, Dec 27
4pm—Crescendo: A Baroque Portrait—Ticketed
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