Songs of the Season: Offbeat Holiday Concerts in NYC
By Troy Segal
New York abounds in concerts during the holiday season. But if you’ve had it with Handel’s Messiah (exhilarating piece, to be sure, but how many “hallelujahs!” can you hear?), hearken to our suggestions for some alternatives musical performances during the remainder of the year. Some lean to the traditional, others are more unusual, but all offer original ways to get into the festive spirit.
If you like your carols with a little syncopation, not to mention sophistication, have we got a show for you: the Gotham Holiday Swing concert, featuring jazz pros performing in best New York and New Orleans style. Buster Poindexter hosts. The Town Hall, Friday, Dec. 18.
Mellow out, drink in hand, to some gentle jazz tunes by local songbird Maggie Dee at a little pop-up café (but don’t be surprised if she throws in an upbeat tune or two). New York Society for Ethical Culture, Friday, Dec. 18.
There’s nothing like perusing works of art while being serenaded by carolers—and from the Mannes School of Music, no less. They provide the perfect ambiance to view the original manuscript of A Christmas Carol and other exhibits at the Morgan Library & Museum, Friday, Dec. 18 & Sunday, Dec. 20.
Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas has been a holiday tradition for 50 years (yes, it originally aired back in 1965). Showing it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accompanied by a live jazz trio doing Vince Guaraldi’s now-classic soundtrack, has also become something of a tradition. Afterwards, an audience sing-along allows everyone to raise their voices in some carols, just like the Peanuts gang. Saturday, Dec. 19 & Sunday, Dec. 20.
He’s ba-a-ack! Michael Feinstein, Great American Songbook interpreter and historian extraordinaire, celebrates his new nightclub home with a performance featuring a suite of Broadway show tunes, along with jazz standards and, yes, a few seasonal gems. Feinstein’s/54 Below, Sunday, Dec. 20-Wednesday, Dec. 30.
For the past 20 years, on the night before Christmas, singer/songwriter and UNICEF goodwill ambassador David Broza has performed a concert of his music, with its influences from Spain, America, England and his native Israel. As that background suggests, it’s a “Not Exactly Christmas Eve” affair. 92nd Street Y, Thursday, Dec. 24.
Attend a holiday concert that punctuates its varied roster, from “O Chanukah” to the “Hallelujah” chorus (c’mon, you have to hear it at least once this yuletide), with comments on how each piece embodies the concept of justice. Aesthetic Realism Foundation, Sunday, Dec. 20.
This 37-year-old annual festival to usher in Kwanzaa features a commemorative movie and musical tribute to its narrator, Maya Angelou. American Museum of Natural History, Sunday, Dec. 27.
Image: Steven Kelley/Flickr
Ring in the New Year with a dose of serenity at the candlelit Concert for Peace; the program includes “Chichester Psalms” by Leonard Bernstein, who began the concerts back in 1984. Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Thursday, Dec. 31.
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