Looks and sounds like the holidays: Stir's guide to seasonal concerts, plays, and performances

From classic carols to raucous dance and theatre pieces, Vancouver’s performing-arts groups are ready to spark joy

Arts Umbrella’s *Mixed Nuts* is an eclectic twist on Tchaikovsky’s *The Nutcracker.*

THE HOLIDAYS ARE a time to celebrate, and this year, with live performances back after what seemed like an eternal winter, there’s even more reason to share and spread joy. From music to theatre to dance, here are some ways to mark and experience the festive season—and be sure to check back for updates as the most wonderful time of year ramps up.

MUSIC

The Light of Hope Returning, Elektra Women’s Choir

November 26 and 27 at 7:30 pm at Pacific Spirit United Church

The 45-member Elektra Women’s Choir offers an epic performance of L.A. composer Shawn Kirchner’s 70-minute The Light of Hope Returning, complete with hand-drawn animation by globally renowned Syrian-American artist Kevork Mourad, the only visual artist to collaborate with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad and narration by esteemed Canadian soloist Allison Girvan. Holiday Mood: Imagine sitting by a fire for a picture book relayed through song.

Britten’s Saint Nicolas, Vancouver Bach Choir

November 30 at 7:30 pm at the Orpheum Theatre and via digital stream

It’s the whole family: Guided by VBC music director Leslie Dala, Benjamin Britten’s Saint Nicolas cantata will be performed by the Vancouver Bach Choir’s symphonic choir, Sarabande, and all five Vancouver Bach Children’s Choirs. The concert also features Stephen Smith and Kin Ming Wong on piano; the VSO School of Music Sinfonietta; and tenor soloist is Asitha Tennekoon. Holiday Mood: Magical.

Christopher Gaze interweaves readings as the VSO plays Christmas classics, at venues around the region.

Traditional Christmas, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

December 1 at 4 pm and 7:30 pm at Centennial Theatre; December 2 at 7:30 pm at Bell Performing Arts Centre; December 3 at 4 pm and 7:30 pm at Kay Meek Centre; December 4 at 4 pm and 7:30 pm at Massey Theatre; and December 18 at 4 pm and 7:30 pm and December 19 at 4 pm at the Orpheum Theatre.

“Angels We Have Heard on High”, “Sleigh Ride”, “Auld Lang Syne”, “River”, and more: the VSO’s annual tradition returns for 2021 with host Christopher Gaze and conductor Karl Hirzer. Holiday Mood: Nostalgic.

Vivaldi’s Orchestra—A Baroque Concertofest!, Vetta Chamber Music

December 3 at 2 pm at West Point Grey United Church; December 4 at 7:30 pm and December 5 at 2 pm at Pyatt Hall; December 6 at 7:30 pm at ArtSpring on Salt Spring Island

Vetta goes for baroque with an all-woman ensemble performing Bach’s Concerto for two violins in D minor; Corelli’s Christmas Concerto in G minor; Vivaldi’s Concerto for four violins in B minor; and Handel’s Concerto Grosso Opus 6 No. 5 in D Major. Holiday Mood: Powerhouse playing.

Sing We Now of Christmas, Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir

December 5 at 2:30 pm at Massey Theatre with Winter Harp; December 7 at 7:30 pm at Surrey Arts Centre; December 13 at 7:30 pm at South Delta Baptist Church, with a short program by South Delta Secondary School Choir; December 16 at 7:30 pm at Centennial Theatre, with a short program by Argyle Secondary School Choirs; and December 18 to January 1, 2022 via digital stream, with a short program by Magee Secondary School Choirs.

Led by music director Jonathan Quick, VWMC returns to the stage in its celebratory series featuring pianist Karen Lee-Morlang, saxophonist Julia Nolan, and flutist Paolo Bortolussi. As per tradition, the choir shares the stage with artists of the future: three local high-school choral ensembles and two young vocalists who received the choir’s 2021 student bursaries. Holiday Mood: On December 5, think rare medieval instruments, backdrops of cathedrals, Celtic harps, and velvet gowns when the VWMC teams up with Winter Harp.

All Is Bright, Vancouver Youth Choir

December 11 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm at the Chan Centre

Founded by artistic director Carrie Tennant in 2013, VYC has grown from a single choir of 30 members to more than 260 singers across six ensembles. The VYC family holds its annual winter celebration with two shows, each featuring a different lineup. Performing at the matinee are Vancouver Youth Choir (the organization’s flagship choir, with advanced singers aged 15 to 24), VYC Tiny, VYC Kids, and VYC Treble; the evening performance, meanwhile, lends the mic to VYC Voices, VYC Jr, and Vancouver Youth Choir. Holiday Mood: Inspirational.

We Rise Again, Universal Gospel Choir

December 11 at 3 pm at Queen Elizabeth Theatre and via digital stream

Vancouver’s multi-faith Universal Gospel Choir returns to live performance with this program of song and celebration. There are seasonal favourites like “Joy to the World” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” as well as inspirational pop anthems (“This is Me”, “A Beautiful Noise”) and more. Plus: “Inuktitut Medley” is a beautiful arrangement of two carols sung in Huron-Wendat and Inuktitut languages that was translated by and gifted to UGC by acclaimed Inuit songwriter Susan Aglukark. Accompaniment is by the UGC Band (Jonny Tobin, piano; Jay Esplana, drums; Jason Nickel, bass) plus special guests Tina Bryant on Hammond B3 organ and vocalist Kathi Rachea Mills. Holiday Mood: All-encompassing.

Violinist Chloe Kim performs in music on main’s Music for the Winter Solstice.

Music for the Winter Solstice 2021, music on main

December 15 and 16 at 7:30 pm at Heritage Hall and via digital stream

“The holiday special I didn’t know I needed”: that’s how one audience member summed up this seasonal offering from music on main. This year’s performance features vocalists Veda Hille, Patsy Klein, Lucien Durey, and Nicholas Krgovich; Chloe Kim on violin; and Julia Chien on vibraphone. Holiday Mood: Warm and welcoming amid a cande-lit glow.

Christmas with Chor Leoni

December 17, 18, and 20 at 8 pm; December 18 at 2 pm and 5 pm; and December 20 at 4:30 pm at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United.

The 65-member all-male choir belts out holiday classics and six world premieres at this candlelit concert at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United, its new home. Upping the excitement is the accompaniment by fiddler Cameron Wilson, who has recorded with the likes of Bryan Adams and appears regularly with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Van Django, and Hard Rubber Orchestra. Holiday Mood: Rousing, booming, and soothing.

Wassail, Vancouver Chamber Choir

December 17 at 7:30 pm at Pacific Spirit United Church and via digital stream

Vancouver Chamber Choir’s holiday concert is back, with new and well-known English carols, plus a performance of Benjamin Britten’s A Boy was Born. For those who prefer to watch at home, the concert video will be published to VANCC DIGITAL. Holiday Mood: Jubilant.

DANCE

Mixed Nuts, Arts Umbrella

December 10 at 7 pm, December 11 at 2 pm and 7 pm, and December 12 at 2 pm at Vancouver Playhouse

Arts Umbrella Dance Program’s beloved twist on The Nutcracker that throws everything from street dance to jazz into the usual balletic assortment. A fun, contemporary breath of fresh air for those who can’t sit through a two-hour ballet. Holiday Mood: Think mice and soldiers sparring in a hip-hop battle.

Arts Umbrella dancers at Small Stage Bentall Centre pop-up. Photo by Mark Klotz Photography

Small Stage: Winter Series

November 27, 2 to 5 pm at Bill Curtis Plaza, Candy Town Yaletown Holiday Festival; December 1, 4 to 7 pm at the 40th Holiday Celebration at Bentall Centre; December 2, 4:30 to 7:30 pm in Gastown windows and streets.

Small stage brings whimsical pop-up holiday performances by the Arts Umbrella Dance Company to Yaletown, Gastown, and the Bentall Centre, with pop-up performances featuring dance and music from The Nutcracker, as well as other holiday standards. Singers Marie Hui and Krystle Dos Santos join the fun at the Bentall and Gastown events. Holiday Mood: Crisp air and even crisper choreography.

Amanda Sum in *East Van Panto: Alice in Wonderland*.

THEATRE

East Van Panto: Alice in Wonderland, Theatre Replacement and the Cultch

November 26 to January 2, the York Theatre and via digital stream

Theatre Replacement’s warped and raucous holiday tradition is back in live form, with favourite players like Veda Hille, Dawn Petten, and Mark Chavez on board for a trip down the rabbit hole. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb appear as transit cops, alongside a busking Cheshire Cat and a cannabis connoisseur caterpillar. Holiday Mood: Lewis C. Carroll by way of Commercial Drive.

Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, Arts Club

To January 2 at various times at the Arts Club’s Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage

Country icon Dolly Parton puts her own spin on A Christmas Carol in a new musical starring big local names like David Adams, Andrew Wheeler, Chelsea Rose, Synthia Yusuf, and Scott Bellis. In this rendition, Scrooge is the owner of a company mining town in 1930s Tennessee. And just wait till you see the ghosts. Rather than pull from her old songbook, Parton new tunes and spins on classics for the show. Holiday Mood: Victorian England meets Tennessee twang.

A Broadway Holiday

December 16 to 23, 8 pm at the Gateway Theatre in Richmond

From “White Christmas” to “Let it Snow”, Broadway has given us a nostalgically festive parade of seasonal hits. To celebrate the season, seven singer-musicians will work their way through the songbook on the Gateway stage. Holiday Mood: Retro-Broadway show biz.

A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol

December 9 at 7:30pm at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, December 10 at 7:30 pm at the Massey Theatre and December 11 at 7:30 pm at Surrey Civic Theatres

The WONDERHEAD’s wildly inventive adaptation of the Charles DIckens classic comes complete with giant masks and puppets. Holiday Mood: Larger than life, with 10-foot-tall puppets and glowing ghosts.

Snowflake

December 10 to 23 at the Red Gate Revue Stage

Mitch & Murray Productions presents the Canadian premiere of Olivier Award-winning British playwright Mike Bartlett’s offbeat but compassionate holiday story of intergenerational conflict. Widowed, middle-aged Andy has been awaiting the return of his daughter, Maya, who left three years ago after her mother’s death. They’ve agreed to meet at Christmas on neutral territory: an old church hall. But will she even show up? Aaron Craven, Natasha Burnett, and Anni Ramsay star. Holiday mood: Unsentimental-seasonal, with a sprinkling of Brexit.

SCREEN

FlyOver Canada’s Soar With Santa

December 9 to January 3 at Canada Place

The high-tech attraction that replicates the feeling of flying at Canada Place takes viewers on a holiday adventure from coast to coast, and onward to the snow-dusted North Pole. Holiday mood: Literally up-lifting.