November 28, 2011

Peabody rings in the holidays with series of concerts

Peabody’s musical celebration of the holidays begins Thursday and Friday, Dec. 1 and 2, when the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble, led by Mark Cudek, will perform Godly and Spirituall Songs, a program of Christmas music from the British Isles. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 and 4, the Peabody’s Children’s Chorus, directed by Doreen Falby, will present Silver Bells, Golden Voices. Edward Polochik will conduct a performance of Gustav Holst’s The Planets by the Women of the Peabody Singers—the Conservatory’s select vocal ensemble—and the Peabody Concert Orchestra on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

The second weekend of the month is all about jazz, with performances in East Hall by the Peabody Improvisation and Multimedia Ensemble, led by Gary Thomas, on Thursday, Dec. 8; the Peabody Jazz Orchestra, led by Michael Formanek, on Friday, Dec. 9; and the Peabody Jazz Ensemble, led by Tim Murphy, on Saturday, Dec. 10. The Jazz Orchestra concert will feature vocalist Jay Clayton, a Peabody faculty artist, in honor of her 70th birth year.

The free Peabody Brass Ensemble concert that has followed the lighting of Mount Vernon’s Washington Monument in past years will take place instead on Sunday, Dec. 11.

For ticket and updated concert information, go to www.peabody.jhu.edu/events. Audio program notes are available on the events site one week before each concert.