Enjoy holiday carols Dec. 15 with 'A Baker's Dozen Holiday Festival'
Norris Cultural Arts Center's "A Baker's Dozen Holiday Festival" continues online Tuesday, Dec. 15 with Tessera Winds performing "Up on the Housetop" and "Joy to the World" and the Vivace Trio playing "Christmastime Is Here" and the "Carol of the Bells."
The 13-day festival, which started Dec. 12, continues daily through Dec. 23. Each new daily episode is available for viewing at norrisculturalarts.com starting at noon, and remains available through the end of the Christmas season. On Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, the festival will culminate in a combined reprise of all 12 performances in a multigenre holiday special. All of the performances were recorded at the historic Baker Community Center.
On Wednesday, Dec. 16, New York Times best-selling picture book author Sherri Duskey Rinker offers a dramatic reading of her book, "The 12 Sleighs of Christmas." Her five best-selling children's books include the No. 1 best-selling "Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site" series.
On Thursday, Dec. 17, it will be the Fox Valley Concert Band, which has been entertaining local audiences for more than 30 years. The band's Brass Quintet, with Erich Rauch and Barry Pilkington on trumpet, Shelly Pietrzak on French horn, Mark Dettman on trombone, and Daniel Klenke on tuba, will perform holiday favorites.
On Friday, Dec. 18, local singer and guitarist Dennis O'Brien and his longtime performing partner, keyboardist John Paruolo, are joined by talented, multi-instrumentalist Glen West in an exclusive performance of customized holiday favorites.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, singer, composer and actress Dori Erwin Collins adds her voice and dramatic character to the "Baker's Dozen Holiday Festival," as she shares some seasonal poetry and music (including one of her original songs).
On Sunday, Dec. 20, the Beth Fowler School of Dance in St. Charles and Genoa will perform. The company has presented a full production of "The Nutcracker" ballet at Dekalb's Egyptian Theater for 27 years, and at St. Charles North High School for eight years. This year, the company is producing a full-length filmed version of "The Nutcracker." They will present excerpts of the new film, performed by dancers from the company. Visit bethfowlerschoolofdance.com.
On Monday, Dec. 21, Daniil Krimer, co-founder and artistic director of the St. Charles-based Kane Repertory Theatre, will do a reading of "A Cup of Christmas Tea" by Tom Hegg. Filled with memories of holidays past, this heartwarming story is about a nephew's reluctant visit to an elderly great-aunt at Christmastime and the surprising joy it brings.
On Tuesday, Dec. 22, the festival welcomes a trio of talented local musicians who are affiliated with the St. Charles Singers - pianist Scott Stevenson, singer Mike Popplewell and singer and oboist Julie Popplewell. The trio performs "O Holy Night" and an original song by Scott titled "Quietly."
On Wednesday, Dec. 23, St. Charles native Taylor Sherry will share with the "Baker's Dozen Holiday Festival" audience a poignant rendition of the well-known tune "I'll Be Home for Christmas."
Also on Dec. 23, pianist Andrew Blendermann will perform a medley of Christmas television themes. He brings a flexible performance style to his repertoire of nearly 2,000 songs - from Beethoven to Broadway, Sinatra to Smash Mouth.
On Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, the festival culminates in a combined reprise of all 12 episodes in a special, multigenre holiday program.
Check back on the website and follow Norris' social media posts on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about "A Baker's Dozen Holiday Festival."