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Community Corner

December Events at Berklee Performance Center including Holiday Shows!

Thursday, December 5, 8:15 p.m.

Berklee Singers Showcase 30th Anniversary Concert

Admission: $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, reserved seating

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Singers Showcase, Berklee's premier vocal event, offers a variety of styles and musical settings for some of the college's exceptional singers. The outstanding lead singers in Singers Showcase are chosen from more than 100 students who audition for a spot in this immensely popular concert.

Saturday, December 7, 7:30 p.m.

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New England Ringers: Joy In Bronze

Admission:  $20, $18 seniors, reserved seating

The New England Ringers, an acclaimed handbell ensemble, presents an energetic winter program. Take a journey through rich and complex music, from the serious to the sublime, featuring quirky to quintessential bells.

The 2013 winter program will delight audiences with a selection of pieces that showcase the wide range of music this unique instrument produces. Each ringer uses bells, chimes, mallets, and methods that combine to form a symphony of music in which mysterious and ethereal sections give way to majestic chords and lively portrayals of familiar carols and tunes. The program includes traditional favorites such as "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," a shimmering version of "Silent Night," and, fittingly, "The Joy of Christmas."

These exhilarating pieces inspire a greater appreciation for the handbell among audiences and inevitably elicit the listener comment, "I didn't know bells could sound like that!"

 

Sunday, December 8, 7:00 p.m.

Blood, Sweat & Tears with Bo Bice

Admission:  $37, $48, $25, $37 Reserved Seating

Known for such hits as “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “And When I Die,” and “Spinning Wheel,” Blood, Sweat & Tears' career has spanned more than four decades. It was assembled by drummer/producer Bobby Colomby and was one of the first groups to successfully blend rock and jazz.

The band is now a well-oiled machine that features top-notch musicians as it tours the world.

Bo Bice is the current lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears. He caught the band’s attention when he covered its hit song “Spinning Wheel” on American Idol.

 

Monday, December 9, 8:00 p.m.

Choral Festival

Admission:  $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission

The Berklee Women's Choir, conducted by Associate Professor Sharon Brown, will perform selections from Aguiar, Bob Chilcott, and Imant Raminsh. The Berklee Concert Choir, conducted by Associate Professor Ned Rosenblatt, will perform the extended work "Sir Patrick Spens" by Herbert Howells.

 

Tuesday, December 10, 8:15 p.m.

The One Who Cares: Reverence Gospel Ensemble Concert

Admission:  $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission

Under the direction of Berklee Associate Professor Dennis Montgomery III, the Reverence Gospel Ensemble and the nine-piece vocal ensemble Overjoyed presents an evening of gospel music.

 

Thursday, December 12, 8:15 p.m.

Guinga Meets Berklee

Admission:  $8, $18 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12, $24 day of show, reserved seating

Signature Music Series at Berklee wraps its fall season on December 12 with Guinga Meets Berklee. The acclaimed Brazilian composer and guitarist will perform a dozen of his original songs with the 30-piece Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Francisco Noya, assistant professor of composition. Faculty guest soloists include Eugene Friesen, Greg Hopkins, John Stein, Fernando Brandão, Oscar Stagnaro, and Daniel Ian Smith.

In addition to the orchestra, several student vocalists and percussionists will be featured. The concert will also feature several new arrangements, including five written by Guinga’s own arranger, Paulo Aragão; six by Berklee students; and one by Matthew Nicholl, chair of Contemporary Writing and Production and musical director for the concert.

 

Friday, December 13, 8:00 p.m.

The Face of Chiang Kai-shek: A Stage Play from China

Admission:  $28, $48, $68, $88 reserved seating

Whether or not to accept a dinner invitation is at the center of the argument between three National Central University professors in the play The Face of Chiang Kai-shek. It is set in 1943 Chongqing, China's wartime capital during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). But this is no ordinary invitation—the three have been asked to a Lunar New Year's Eve dinner thrown by Chiang Kai-shek, the time generalissimo of the Kuomintang-led Republic of China and president of National Central University.

The invitation is a moral quandary for the intellectuals, a test of their attitude when confronted with power. This concept forms the central theme of the play, whose plot is based on one of many anecdotes about the leader's tenure as university president that still circulate on the campus of Nanjing University (formerly National Central University) today.

 

Saturday, December 14, 8:00 p.m.

Jim Brickman: The Magic of Christmas

Admission:  $74 with pre-show meet & greet, $64, $49, $39, reserved seating

Jim Brickman brings the spirit of the season to life once again with The Magic of Christmas. Brickman, along with special guests, delivers the perfect blend of music and entertainment in a show that combines intimacy, warmth, and humor. He will perform holiday favorites along with the hits that have made him the best-selling solo pianist of our time. A 17-year tradition, The Magic of Christmas is the must-see concert of the holiday season.

 

Sunday, December 15, 8:00 p.m.

 A John Waters Christmas

Admission:  $100, $60, $45, $35, $25, reserved seating

Like a wayward Santa for the Christmas-obsessed, legendary filmmaker and raconteur John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, A Dirty Shame ) rides into town on his sleigh full of smut spreading yuletide cheer with his critically acclaimed one-man show, A John Waters Christmas. Putting the X in Xmas, Waters’s rapid-fire monologue explores and explodes traditional archetypes as he shares his compulsive desire to give and receive perverted gifts, a religious fanaticism for Santa Claus, and an unhealthy love of true crime holiday horror stories.

 

Monday, December 16, 8:15 p.m.

Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra

Admission:  $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission

Under the direction of Professor Greg Hopkins, the Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra performs the works of top Berklee students and alumni composers.

 

Tuesday, December 17, 8:15 p.m.

Berklee Symphonic Winds

Admission:  $8 in advance (discount is applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission

The Berklee Wind Ensemble presents a fall concert of contemporary music.

For further additional information & tickets visit http://www.berklee.edu/events/

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