Best Bets: Holiday tunes, ‘Nutcracker’ variations dominate suburban stages

Music of the season

• The Metropolis String Ensemble joins the St. Charles Singers for the 40th edition of “Candlelight Carols,” featuring works by Francis Poulenc, George Frideric Handel, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Carolyn Jennings and Sofia Soderberg, among others. $45 for adults, $40 for seniors, $12 for students. (630) 513-5272 or stcharlessingers.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at St. Michael Catholic Church, 310 S. Wheaton Ave., Wheaton; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, 307 Cedar Ave., St. Charles

• The Irish ensemble Apollo’s Fire performs at Ravinia’s Martin Theatre, 418 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, as part of “WASSAIL! An Irish-American Christmas,” which re-creates the tradition of Irish families and friends ushering in the holiday with songs and storytelling. $60. ravinia.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6

• Elgin Master Chorale soloists join the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and members of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra for the city’s third annual “Sing-Along Messiah” (Christmas-themed sections only) at the Blizzard Theatre, Elgin Community College Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. $7, free for kids 12 and younger. Proceeds from ticket sales and a freewill collection benefits PADS of Elgin. elginsing-alongmessiah.org. 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6

• Chicago a cappella performs its “Holidays a cappella” program consisting of Dylan Thomas’ tale “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” featuring Joseph Jefferson Award-winning actor Greg Vinkler. $38 general admission, $48 preferred seating, $10 students. chicagoacappella.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at Wentz Concert Hall, North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville; 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, (family edition) at Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music, 4545 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago; 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 460 Lake St., Oak Park; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at Buchanan Chapel, Fourth Presbyterian Church, 115 E. Delaware Place, Chicago; and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston

• Rembrandt Chamber Musicians perform their “Holiday Baroque” program featuring Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantata “Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten” (Depart, gloomy shadows) and his Violin Concerto in E Major; Tomaso Albinoni’s Oboe Concerto in D Minor; George Frideric Handel’s “Süsse Stille, sanfte Quelle” (Sweet quiet, gentle source) and “Flammende Rose, Zierde der Erden” (Flaming Rose, Earth’s Adornment), among other works. $39, free for students. (847) 395-1754 or rembrandtchambermusicians.org. 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the Church of the Atonement, 5749 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at Northwestern University’s Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road, Evanston

• The 31-member Fox Valley Brass Band performs holiday favorites at Wesley United Methodist Church, 14 N. May St., Aurora, as part of its “Peace, Love and Joy” concert. $15 adults, $12 students and seniors. (630) 891-2527 or foxvalleybrassband.org. 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7

‘Nutcracker’ magic

• The Joffrey Ballet presents its critically acclaimed “The Nutcracker,” choreographed by Tony Award-winner Christopher Wheeldon and set during Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Upper Wacker Drive, Chicago. Tickets start at $36. (312) 386-8905 or joffrey.org/nutcracker. Friday, Dec. 6, through Dec. 28

• The Music Institute of Chicago presents “Duke It Out! Nutcracker,” a version that combines Tchaikovsky’s original score with the jazz version composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston. Resident ensemble Quintet Attacca teams up with musicians from Braeburn Brass and Dance Chicago artists for this family-friendly, one-hour version of the ballet. $20. (847) 448-8326 or nicholsconcerthall.org. 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, is the musical instrument petting zoo, followed by the 11 a.m. performance

• The 32nd national tour of “Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet” stops at the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont. Dancers from Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Japan, Poland and Italy make up the corps de ballet in choreographer Viktor Davydiuk’s production, which combines classical ballet and circus arts. $31-$101. rosemont.com/theatre or nutcracker.com. 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8

• “The Hip-Hop Nutcracker” is a remixed, reimagined version of the holiday classic featuring a DJ, violinist, digital graffiti and modern visuals that transform the tale from 19th-century Germany to 21st-century New York City. Performances take place at the CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. $34.50-$71.50. broadwayinchicago.com. Tuesday, Dec. 10, through Dec. 15

Stand-up at Cinergy

Comedian and Chicago native Dwayne Kennedy, a 2019 Emmy Award winner for CNN’s “United Shades of America,” performs at the Cinergy Dine-In Cinema, 401 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling. $25, plus a two-item minimum. cinergy.com/live-comedy-wheeling. 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7

Christmas with the King

Singer/actor and “Million Dollar Quartet” veteran Brendon Bennett channels Elvis Presley at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, where he performs his cabaret show “Christmas With the King: Brandon Bennett Sings Elvis Presley.” Bennett’s retrospective includes such hits as “Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me,” “Return To Sender,” “Silent Night,” “Burning Love” and “Blue Christmas,” among others. $60. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com. 1 and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, and 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10