‘Nutcracker,’ ‘Amahl,’ carols and more: Kansas City’s classical holiday happenings

Things are not quite back to normal, but it sure is better than it was last year.

In 2020, just before the holiday concert season got into full swing, indoor concerts were canceled by city order. That was like coal in the stocking for Kansas City’s arts organizations, whose annual holiday performances are some of their most popular concerts of the year and help generate much-needed revenue.

But in 2021, things are different. With venues requiring proof of vaccination and with other safety protocols in place, we can now safely enjoy these holiday delights in person once more. And what an abundance of holiday cheer we have to choose from.

‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’

Last year, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City pulled out all the stops to create a truly magical performance of “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” Although the video that was streamed in lieu of a live performance gave a taste of the production’s magic, you really have to see it in person to appreciate the life-sized puppets, designed with the help of Paul Mesner, and Steven Kemp’s set, which evokes a medieval illuminated manuscript.

7:30 p.m. Dec. 2, 3, 9 and 10 and 2 p.m. Dec. 4, 5, 11 and 12. The Michael and Ginger Frost Production Arts Building, 712 E. 18th St. $35. 816-471-7344 or kcopera.org.

‘Prelude to Christmas’

For years, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception presented its annual Lessons and Carols service during the Christmas season. This year, Mario Pearson, the cathedral’s music director and principal organist, has reinvented the service. “Prelude to Christmas” is the result.

“We revised and reimagined an event that we believe will be more appealing to the community, as it is a concert rather than a prayer service with choral music as in the past,” Pearson said.

“Prelude to Christmas” will feature poems and readings, as well as performances by the cathedral’s choir accompanied by harp and strings. You can expect favorites, like selections from Handel’s “Messiah,” as well as some surprises, like a Zulu song for peace.

6:30 p.m. Dec. 2. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 416 W. 12th St. $10. preludetochristmas.com.

Kansas City Chorale

Make your holidays pop with the Kansas City Chorale. The always-affable Charles Bruffy will lead the multiple Grammy-winning ensemble in “Holiday Pops” Dec. 3 at Rolling Hills Church and Dec. 12 at the 1900 Building. The concert will feature well-loved fare like “Carol of the Bells” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at Rolling Hills Church, 9300 Nall Avenue, Overland Park, and 2 p.m. Dec. 12 at the 1900 Building, 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Mission Woods. $12-$15. kcchorale.org

The Kansas City Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’

When the Kansas City Ballet canceled Devon Carney’s “The Nutcracker” last year, it was as if the Country Club Plaza turned off its Christmas lights. But the eye-popping production is back, and that’s welcome news for anyone in need of holiday magic. Carney’s rendition of “The Nutcracker” is classic old-school ballet combined with cutting-edge technical razzle-dazzle. It’s a don’t-miss combination.

Dec. 3-24 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. $34-$144. 816-931-8993 or kcballet.org.

‘The Snowy Day’

“The Snowy Day” by children’s author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats won the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1963. It was the first-ever children’s book whose main character is an African American to win the honor. The United States Postal Service honored “The Snowy Day” with a stamp in 2017.

The Mesner Puppet Theater will bring this delightful book to life, with all of its snowball fights and snow angels, Dec. 4 and 5 at the Midwest Trust Center.

11 a.m. Dec. 4 and 5. Polsky Theater, Midwest Trust Center, Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park. $9-$16. 913-469-4445 or jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center.

‘Fiesta Navidad’

Mexico has many rich holiday traditions, which Mariachi Los Camperos will celebrate in “Fiesta Navidad” Dec. 4 at Midwest Trust Center. The Grammy Award-winning mariachi ensemble will fill Yardley Hall with the sights and sounds of the season.

8 p.m. Dec. 4. Yardley Hall, Midwest Trust Center, Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park. $25-$35. 913-469-4445 or jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center.

‘A Ceremony of Carols’

Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols” is not only a Christmas classic, but one of the greatest choral works of the 20th century. Musica Sacra conducted by Timothy McDonald will perform the work Dec. 5 at Arrupe Auditorium on the campus of Rockhurst University.

“Britten’s writing is at times lyrical, at times thrilling, and always beautifully crafted,” McDonald said. “He really knew how to write for vocalists.”

McDonald has assembled a stellar group of singers for the performance: sopranos Sarah Tannehill Anderson and Kayleigh Aytes and mezzo-soprano Kristen Haney. Wesley Snell is the harpist. Come early at 6:45 for McDonald’s live program notes.

7:30 p.m. Dec. 5. Arrupe Auditorium, Rockhurst University, 1100 Rockhurst Road. Free. rockhurst.edu/center-arts-letters/musica-sacra.

You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.