WYO features young musicians from over 60 towns and 72 schools in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island representing the finest talent from public, private and community music school programs. The third oldest youth orchestra in the country, WYO presents its annual Family Holiday Pops at Mechanics Hall. Featuring the Worcester Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Worcester Youth Philharmonic, and the Worcester Youth Wind & Jazz Ensembles, this performance also showcases the Nashoba Valley Chorale & Worcester Children’s Chorus. Tickets include dinner with the show.

The Kings of Brass are ready to make the holiday season merry and bright with Making Spirits Bright. This quintet never fails to delight with their winning combination of fabulous sound, engaging wit, popular programming, and top-notch showmanship. Making Spirits Bright includes original arrangements and signature takes on beloved holiday classics such as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Charlie Brown Christmas,” “Silver Bells, “Songs of Hanukkah,” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” The spirit and sparkle of Canadian Brass has earned them a loyal legion of fans worldwide. “Nothing proclaims celebration and festivity like the sound of brass instruments. And if those instruments are played by Canadian Brass, there is even greater cause for celebration” (Toronto Star). 

Dueling Pianos is back. Bring your friends and have a Ball. Dueling Pianos is a massive "to the top of your lungs" sing along with all your friends! Two grand pianos are center-stage with a team of outrageously talented pianists that seem to know every song ever written.

Each show is different because it's all request. And you or your friends might get called up onstage for a bit of good humored fun and some unforgettable u-tube moments. These shows are request oriented, interactive sing-a-longs wherein two piano players sit across from each other and trade songs. The dueling piano audience is used for the dueling aspect of the show. Audience members are pitted one-side-against-the-other. Examples of rivalries include country vs. rock, men against women, etc.

People do love to interact and have fun. The piano players act as the "Entertainment Directors," responsible for maintaining enthusiasm and maximizing laughs. Hand-picked from only the finest regional talent, they are experts on keeping audience members involved, happy and singing.

Glenn Dicterow and Wendy Putnam, violins
Karen Dreyfus and Steven Ansell, violas

Inbal Segev, cello

• String Trio in C minor, Op.9, No. 3 by Ludwig van Beethoven
• Terzetto for Two Violins and Viola Op.74 by Antonín Dvořák
• String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op.111 by Johannes Brahms

The Concord Chamber Music Society presents members of the Amerigo Trio—including former Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic Glenn Dicterow, violist Karen Dreyfus, and cellist Inbal Segev—joined by CCMS Director and violinist Wendy Putnam, and Principal Violist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Steven Ansell.

The special event with Yo-Yo Ma pairs repertoire from the center of his musical firmament with reflections on how it has shaped his thinking about art, human nature, and our search for meaning. Together, the cellist’s music and words ask us to consider what music is for, and how it can guide us on a path towards hope.

Biography

Yo-Yo Ma’s multi-faceted career is testament to his belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. Whether performing new or familiar works for cello, bringing communities together to explore culture’s role in society, or engaging unexpected musical forms, Yo-Yo strives to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity.Most recently, Yo-Yo began Our Common Nature, a cultural journey to celebrate the ways that nature can reunite us in pursuit of a shared future. Our Common Nature follows the Bach Project, a 36-community, six-continent tour of J. S. Bach’s cello suites paired with local cultural programming. Both endeavors reflect Yo-Yo’s lifelong commitment to stretching the boundaries of genre and tradition to understand how music helps us to imagine and build a stronger society.

Critically-acclaimed duo, saxophonist Miguel Zénon and pianist Luís Perdomo, bring the music of their Grammy-winning album, El Arte del Bolero, to the Concert Hall with a special appearance by Groton Hill’s own Wind Ensemble. 

Multiple Grammy Nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents  a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered as one of the most  groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, he has also  developed a unique voice as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine  mix between Jazz and his many musical influences.