Looking for the optimal festive fun this season? Let Colorado’s musical community be your coziest companion during the start of the winter months. It’s one of the busiest concert seasons, so peruse our picks for December below and check out our Colorado Classical Ensemble Guide for even more.
As always, CPR’s Eden Lane is a treasure trove of Colorado arts knowledge. Check out her complete guide to Colorado Nutcracker performances or her holiday events guide.
CPR Classical Presents: Friends of Chamber Music presents Awadagin Pratt
December 4, Newman Center
While Friends of Chamber Music knocked it out of the park with this year’s lineup of performers, I’m excited to see a more intimate series of concerts in the run-up to the new year with solo artists like pianist Awadagin Pratt. This isn’t Pratt’s first time performing in Colorado, but it’s his debut with FCM. His program is a marriage of legacy (like Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff) and modern (Peteris Vasks and Philip Glass).
Plus! This is a CPR Classical Presents event! Visit us in the lobby to grab a sticker and a bear hug from Kabin Thomas.
Kantorei: Frostiana
December 7, 8, 20, & 21, various locations
Peace, celebration and contemplation; Kantorei certainly knows the reason for the season and has planned accordingly with their program. The concert takes its name from the star of the show: Randall Thompson’s “Frostiana: Seven Country Songs”, based on the poetry of Robert Frost (a work Frost himself apparently loved so much, he stood up and yelled “sing that again!”).
The program also includes familiar carols, a celebration of the Canadian winter, and Eric Whitacre’s “The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus.” If you haven’t taken the opportunity to listen to the Whitacre, treat yourself. And don’t let the serious demeanor of the music fool you – the lyrics are hilarious.
The Colorado Choir: An a capella Christmas
December 13 & 14, Augustana Lutheran or online
Join The Colorado Choir in person or livestream the concert, whichever best fills your heart with the winter spirit. Their holiday concert features contemporary carols and gospel sung in six-part harmony. And if holidays weren't enough reason to celebrate, the Choir is in their 49th season. Catch them before they turn 50!
St. Martin’s Chamber Choir: “A Christmas Carol” featuring CPR Classical’s Kabin Thomas
December 13 & 15, Wellshire Presbyterian and Montview Boulevard Presbyterian
Back by popular demand, the St. Martin’s Chamber Choir invites you to a very special repeat from their 30th season: Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol. Dicken’s classic tale is accompanied by favorite carols arranged by Benedict Sheehan, and narrated by a very special guest indeed – CPR Classical’s morning host Kabin Thomas! It’s a concert to catch, whether for the first time of the second year in a row.
Colorado Symphony: A Colorado Christmas
December 13 - 15, Boettcher Concert Hall
Check out this guest list: The Colorado Symphony, the Colorado Children’s Chorale, vocalist Devin DeSantis, CPR Classical’s Monika Vischer, Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, and you. CPR Classical is proud to present “A Colorado Christmas” with the Colorado Symphony. This concert is a tradition that dates back to 1985. Colorado Children’s Chorale alum DeSantis returns as host for this treasured annual event of traditional carols of modern holiday favorites.
Denver Brass: Home for Christmas
December 21, King Center
Denver Brass is set on capturing the feeling of familiarity and family after arriving home for the holidays. Spend the Saturday before Christmas with Denver’s 40 year old brass ensemble and their annual tradition of holly and jolly, and calm and bright. Plus, it looks like Santa is making another pre-Christmas Denver stop for the concert.
Colorado Springs Philharmonic: Christmas Symphony
December 21 & 22, Pike Peak Center for the Performing Arts
The Colorado Springs Philharmonic and the Colorado Springs Chorale Society: two groups with long history in Colorado Springs (the Colorado Springs Philharmonic is nearing 100!) invite you to a heartwarming pair of concerts. If traditional holiday music isn’t enough to draw you in, how about the promise of a sing-a-long?
Additional Holiday Concerts
- Greeley Philharmonic, Dec. 7
- Lone Tree Symphony, Dec 7 & 8
- Jefferson Symphony, Dec. 8
- Sphere Ensemble, Dec. 13 & 14
- Choral Song of Colorado Springs, Dec. 17
- Fort Collins Wind Symphony, Dec. 14
Looking Ahead:
- Colorado Symphony, Mozart and Now, Jan. 10-12
- Second Tuesdays Concert Series, Bryan Wallick, Jan 14
- Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Brahms 4, Jan. 25 - 26
Hear CPR Classical by clicking “Listen Live” at the top of our website, or download the Colorado Public Radio app. Listen on your radio to CPR Classical at 88.1 FM in Denver, at radio signals around Colorado. You can also tell your smart speaker to “Play CPR Classical."
