Enjoy the sounds of the season with the Musical Instrument Museum’s (MIM) lineup of holiday concerts.

Mindi Abair’s “I Can’t Wait for Christmas” Featuring Vincent Ingala, Adam Hawley, and Lindsey Webster
Dec. 8

Make your list and check it twice—this holiday concert is more than just nice! Two-time Grammy nominee Mindi Abair returns to MIM for a popular, fun-filled holiday concert featuring an incredible group of multitalented smooth jazz musicians.

Over the course of her 20-plus-year career, Abair has made her mark on jazz, pop, rock, R&B, soul, funk, and more. She has topped the jazz and blues charts as a solo artist, been the featured saxophonist on “American Idol,” sat in with Paul Shaffer on “The Late Show” with David Letterman and the Roots on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon, and toured with Aerosmith, Duran Duran, and more. Meanwhile, Vincent Ingala is no stranger to contemporary jazz audiences; the saxophonist is renowned for his charisma, energy, and musicianship. Singer Lindsey Webster’s “Fool Me Once” hit number one on Billboard’s Smooth Jazz chart—the first vocal-driven song to do so since Sade’s “Soldier of Love” in 2010. Guitarist Adam Hawley, who debuted in 2016 with the Billboard chart-topper “35th St.,” has worked with a variety of greats, including Dave Koz and Brian Culbertson.

Big Band Holidays Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring Dianne Reeves with Samara Joy
Dec. 9

Swing into the holiday spirit with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s annual Big Band Holidays tour. National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and five-time Grammy-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves and emerging singer Samara Joy, a winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, join the orchestra to bring Yuletide cheer to audiences of all ages. The evening will feature soulful renditions of holiday classics, playful improvisation, and entertaining storytelling. The uplifting performances will create memories that last throughout the holiday season—and far longer.

The Phoenix Boys Choir “Home for the Holidays”
Dec. 11
In this holiday concert, the Phoenix Boys Choir will feature music from around the world as well as stunning choral a cappella pieces to usher in the winter season. Sing along with seasonal favorites such as “Joy to the World,” “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Let It Snow,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Squirrel Nut Zippers Christmas Caravan Tour
Dec. 14
The musical journey of the Squirrel Nut Zippers began in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the mid-1990s as a musicians’ escape from the modern rock radio of the time. Before long, the band’s quirky mix of jazz chords, folk music, and punk rock leanings spread beyond the region and attracted a national audience. The Zippers had a smash hit in 1996 with “Hell” but were inactive by the early 2000s; they reemerged from a lengthy hiatus in 2016. Their joyous, raucous Christmas Caravan tour features songs from their “Christmas Caravan” and “Mardi Gras for Christmas” releases, as well as other Zippers favorites.

The Miracles Holiday Concert
Dec. 17
Motown’s many famous groups include the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Supremes, the Commodores, and the Jackson 5—but the first of them all was the Miracles. Today, the Miracles keep the Motown sound alive with great harmonies, performing signature songs such as “Shop Around,” “I Second That Emotion,” “Tears of a Clown,” “Love Machine,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “The Tracks of My Tears,” “Ooh Baby Baby,” and many more. The current Miracles lineup consists of Sydney Justin, Kerry Justin, Cordell Conway, and Eric Swindle.

The Klezmatics a Happy Joyous Hanukkah
Dec. 19
The Klezmatics transcend genres, blending klezmer with aching shtetl melodies, raucous Latin stomps, wild jazz riffs, and provocative Arabic, African, American, and Balkan rhythms. The Klezmatics will be presenting a contagious celebration of Hanukkah, marrying their soulful and ebullient Jewish roots to Woody Guthrie’s poignantly mesmerizing lyrics.

In 1942, Guthrie moved to Brooklyn, New York. Through his mother-in-law, the renowned Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt, he became involved with the Coney Island Jewish community, and he wrote songs about Hanukkah, Jewish history, and spiritual life. After Guthrie died in 1967, these songs sat forgotten in archives. Lost for almost 30 years, Guthrie’s Hanukkah lyrics were discovered in 1998 by his daughter, Nora Guthrie. She was so inspired by what she found that she asked the Klezmatics to write new music for the lyrics.

A Traveler Christmas
Dec. 22
Traveler’s sound is an innovative fusion of global music styles and rock. Amplifying traditional ethnic instruments with the power of a full rock band, Traveler’s performances are intense, exotic, and adrenaline driven.

Composer and bandleader Scott Jeffers has traveled the world gathering inspiration for Traveler. He composed most of his songs surrounded by the people, sounds, sights, smells, and landscapes of faraway places, bringing a true authenticity to the fusion. His commanding stage presence and fiery violin and vocal performances add to the power of Traveler’s passionate, high-energy live shows. Jeffers also brings traditional instruments from his journeys to the stage.