Arts Agenda: Holiday music, part one

Each week, ArtsATL delivers a critic’s short list of the shows, exhibitions, concerts and events we recommend for the coming weeks within one discipline or venue type in the kaleidoscope of Atlanta arts and culture. Every week, we’ll present a different art form. There are so many holiday music events coming up this season that we’re splitting the list into two. Stay tuned for part two.

::

November 28

Dave Koz and Friends are back at Cobb Energy Centre for the 28th anniversary edition of the longest-running jazz-based Christmas tour. The tour reunites Koz with long-time musical partner, guitarist/singer Jonathan Butler, and will feature special guests Haley Reinhart, Casey Abrams and Kayla Waters. It happens at 8 p.m. on November 28.

November 29-30

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will present Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Live in Concert with composer John Williams’ score performed live to film by a full orchestra. Conductor Susie Seiter will lead the concert at 7 p.m. on November 29 and 3 p.m. on November 30.

December 3

The Jazz Legacy Project presents Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite at Red Clay Music Foundry in Duluth at 7 p.m. December 3.

December 5

Country trio Lady A, which includes Augusta natives Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, brings the This Winter’s Night Tour to Atlanta Symphony Hall at 7:30 p.m. December 5.

December 5-6

A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols is a candlelit choral concert at Emory University that has been an Atlanta tradition for decades. Under the direction of Dr. Eric Nelson, enjoy choral music from the Emory Concert Choir and University Chorus, and scripture readings by special guests from the Emory community. Performances take place at Glenn United Methodist Church at 8 p.m. December 5, and 4 and 8 p.m. December 6.

The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates 45 years with this season’s Home for the Holidays concert at the Cathedral of St. Philip, delivering timeless classics, global holiday favorites, and fresh new arrangements at 8 p.m. December 5, and 2 and 6 p.m. December 6.

December 6

The Sons of Serendip return to Spivey Hall with a holiday program showcasing the quartet’s blend of harp, cello, piano and vocals. Atlanta-based cellist-composer Okorie “OkCello” Johnson will open the concert at 7:30 p.m. December 6.

More on ArtsATL: Okorie ‘OkCello’ Johnson and Chaunesti Webb-Johnson’s ‘Big Tent Blackness’

Amy Grant, Cece Winans, and Michael W Smith bring their Christmas Together holiday tour to the Fox Theatre at 7 p.m. December 6.

December 6-7

Georgia Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Pops offers orchestral arrangements of holiday classics and a rousing sing-along finale. Concerts take place at the Marietta Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. December 6 and 3 p.m. December 7.

December 7

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Family Concert: Deck the Halls is designed for children under 12 and their families. The 45-minute performance is preceded by an hour of pre-concert activities, including an ASO instrument exploration station. It all happens at Atlanta Symphony Hall at 1:30 and 3 p.m. December 7.

Concerts at First: Christmas presents Camille Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio), Op. 12 at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta at 10 a.m. December 7.

For King + Country’s A Drummer Boy Christmas: The 2025 Live Experience comes to the Fox Theatre at 7 p.m. December 8.

December 10

Christmastime with Trisha Yearwood pairs the beloved Monticello native with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for a concert of holiday favorites. The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. December 10 at Symphony Hall.

December 11-14

Christmas with the ASO brings the Morehouse College Glee Club, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra together for a concert of hymns, carols and festive cheer. Performances are at 8 p.m. December 11, 3 and 8 p.m. December 13 and 3 p.m. December 14 at Symphony Hall.

December 12

Michelle Malone and the Hot Toddies will bring their Christmas party cheer to Eddie Owen Presents at the Red Clay Theatre in Duluth at 8 p.m. December 12.

December 12-13

Spend Christmas with Atlanta Master Chorale at Emerson Concert Hall at Schwartz Center for Performing Arts on the Emory University campus at 8 p.m. December 12 and 4, and 8 p.m. December 13

December 13

Season of Light is the Atlanta Women’s Chorus’s tribute to hope, unity, and renewal during the holiday season, featuring a blend of beloved carols, multicultural gems, and contemporary choral works. They’ll perform at the Church at Ponce and Highland at 2 and 7 p.m. December 13.

December 13, 16 and 18-20

TT Mahony and Jeffrey Butzer return with A Charlie Brown Christmas, one of Atlanta’s favorite holiday traditions. They’ll bring the show to three metro Atlanta venues this year. The first is at the Red Clay Theatre in Duluth at 8 p.m. December 13. Next up, catch them at Madlife Stage & Studios at 7:30 p.m. December 16. The season wraps up with four shows at the EARL in East Atlanta at 8:30 p.m. December 18, 19, 20 and 21.