Yuletide concerts, festivities lavish in Lisle this year
Chances are, most individuals will find something that brings them the joy and wonder of the Christmas season with all the musical performances scheduled this month in Lisle.
To warm hearts for the holiday, the New Horizon Band, made up of adult community members, will have its Holiday Concert at 3 p.m. Saturday at the St. Daniel Hall Performing Arts Center at Benet Academy, at Maple and Yackley avenues.
The musicians, who meet at Benedictine University under the direction of Maryann Flock, come together for the sheer joy of playing. Tickets are $4 at the door.
The Friends of the Lisle Library will sponsor The Bittersweet Christmas Band at 2 p.m. Sunday. Because of the library's ongoing renovation, the free concert will be held at Faith United Methodist Church, 5395 Westview Lane.
Look for close vocal harmonies from Phil Cooper, Susan Urban, Kate Early and Margaret Nelson, who together, bring more than 80 years of musical experience to the stage.
"Seasonal music from the reverent to the ridiculous" is the way Urban, a songwriter, describes her quartet.
Strumming along on guitar and banjo, along with a dulcimer and varied percussion instruments, the group will sing audience favorites such as "Good King Wenceslas," "Dance in the Dark of the Year" and "Midnight Clear."
A solid dose of original humor strings along with "Christmas Shopping Carol," "Don't Call Me Mrs. Santa" and "The King of Christmas Lights."
Cooper takes the lead in "I'm Beginning to Look A Lot Like Santa."
"We definitely sing folk songs," Urban said.
"Whether it is newly written or something written hundreds of years ago, folk songs speak to the experience of everyday people -- the folk."
The program will have two 45-minute segments with a 10-minute intermission. The four talented musicians perform year-round in other groupings, but come together each holiday as The Bittersweet Christmas Band.
Concert-goers will be treated to an exceptional variety of choral music when Bella Voce performs its Christmas Concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at St. Procopius Abbey, at Maple and Yackley avenues.
Tickets are $15 for students, $18 for seniors, $25 for general admission and $35 for premium (up-close) seating. Group discounts are available. Call (312) 479-1096 or go to bellavoce.org for availability.
Some tickets may be available at the door, but in the past this concert has sold out early.
The 28-member group, founded under the name His Majestie's Clerkes, is celebrating its 25th season.
"Bella Voce is Chicago's premiere professional chamber choir," said artistic director Andrew Lewis.
"We perform sophisticated music you may not hear otherwise, but people will fall in love with it because it is gorgeous choral music."
The a cappella ensemble is made up of dedicated and skilled performers who set high standards for its new members.
The concert will include "O Antiphons" by living composer Arvo Paert; the "Magnificat" by a Finnish composer; and "Christmas Carols" arranged by Danish arranger Bo Holten.
"We sing in 25 different languages and will sing in English, Latin, Estonian, German and Danish for this concert," Lewis said. "We specialize in challenging new works with traditional music."
At 2 p.m. on Dec. 23, Friends of the Lisle Library will sponsor a stellar performance by actor Terry Lynch, "The Legends of St. Nicholas." Just in time for Christmas, the family-friendly, hour-long presentation will reveal "no secrets" said Lynch, who comes dressed as Father Christmas in a red flowing cape and a wreath in place of a hat.
"The show follows the legends of St. Nicholas from third-century bishop to present-day Santa," Lynch said. "Some of our Christmas traditions are based upon stories from his life."
One tradition that children still follow is to put out a shoe the evening of Dec. 5 by their bedroom door in hopes of having a treat waiting for them when they awake on Dec. 6, St. Nicholas Day.
"That tradition goes back to Bishop Nicholas of Myra, which is present-day Turkey, who threw gold coins into a window," Lynch said. "Some people believe the gold fell into shoes, and in other areas they believe the gold fell into socks that were warming by the fireplace."
Lynch builds upon his training at Second City and Improv Olympics to produce skits for "Histories for Kids" together with his wife, Laura. His programs are appropriate for all ages and often are performed at schools, libraries and retirement centers.
The free program will be at Faith United Methodist Church, 5395 Westview Lane.
Primeval kings, queens and mythical creatures add a twist of the exotic to the Solstice Feast Dinner Theatre from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 9, 16 and 23 at the Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53. Through song, dance and storytelling, the natural world reveals its holiday tale.
The $60 ticket includes a feast of beef tenderloin, and marinated duck with all the trimmings, in the Ginkgo Restaurant. Member discounts are available. The show is recommended for individuals 12 and older. Reservations are required. Call (630) 725-2066.
Pick one or all of the above and settle back to enjoy the sounds of Christmas.