Ring in the holidays with live performances at the VPAC

The Vail Valley Foundation recently issued the following press release on the Vilar Performing Arts Center’s upcoming holiday schedule:

During the upcoming winter holidays, the Vilar Performing Arts Center’s (VPAC) interior halls will be decked, and the lobby will feature an 18-foot decorated white fir tree, sourced from within Colorado. The festive décor is the perfect complement to a series of special holiday shows slated for mid-December through the New Year, including performances from Nu Deco Ensemble, Kat Edmonson, Livingston Taylor, and comedian Michael Carbonaro, as well as handpicked films from Mountainfilm festival in Telluride, Colo.

“At the Vilar Performing Arts Center, the holidays are a time to gather with loved ones and enjoy the special moments of warmth, love and connection that the live performing arts can create,” said VPAC Executive Director Cameron Morgan. “With programming for the whole family mid-December through early January, we invite you to join us in our world-class venue in Beaver Creek during the most magical time of the year. The holidays in the Vail Valley are a time to make new memories together, and the VPAC is excited to present outstanding entertainment for all to enjoy.”

Morgan suggested that after a day on the slopes, the VPAC is the perfect way to extend the holiday experience into the evenings. With holiday decorations throughout the VPAC lobby, including a festive two-story tree adorned with 9,300 lights and a variety of ornaments, including a new “critter” selection (owls, birds, beaver, squirrels, skunks, fox and porcupine), there are photo opportunities galore – whether for last-minute holiday cards or even just to share on social media. VPAC has displayed a holiday tree every season beginning in 1998.

Tickets for the following shows are on sale now. 

Nu Deco Ensemble

6:30 p.m. Thursday, December 21 | Starting at $50 ($35 for kids/students)

Innovative hybrid orchestra Nu Deco Ensemble exploded onto Miami’s eclectic music scene in 2015, captivating audiences and fusing innovative, genre-bending orchestral performances. Nu Deco celebrates living composers, reimagines all genres of music, and collaborates with a wide range of diverse musical guests, composers, choreographers, dancers, and mixed media artists. The ensemble has been gaining a reputation as one of the world’s most exciting and innovating classical ensembles, bringing new, dynamic energy to the classical music world. This program will feature new arrangements of “pops,” songs of the season and holiday classics. Led by Co-Artistic Director and Conductor Jacomo Bairos and CEO and Co-Artistic Director Sam Hyken, Nu Deco Ensemble redefines what an orchestra is in the 21^st century.

Holiday Swingin’! A Kat Edmonson Christmas

7 p.m. Friday, December 22 | Starting at $45 ($25 for kids)

Kat Edmonson is an award-winning songwriter and singer “with an equal foothold in jazz, cabaret and vintage cosmopolitanism pop” (The New York Times). She has been featured on Austin City Limits, Tiny Desk Concerts, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Late Show. Edmonson will perform swingin’ Yuletide favorites, including “Jingle Bell Rock,” “O Christmas Tree,” and “Let It Snow” as part of her festive show, Holiday Swingin’! A Kat Edmonson Christmas. Her record of the same name (released 11/09/2021) was described by Jazziz as “impeccably hip” and appeared in The New York Times “13 Albums That Revisit (and Redefine!) Holiday Classics.”

Livingston Taylor

7 p.m. Thursday, December 28 | Starting at $38

Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at age 13, which began a 50-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting and teaching. From Top 40 hits “I Will Be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running,” to “I Can Dream of You” and “Boatman,” Livingston’s creative output has continued unabated. He is a natural performer, peppering his shows with personal stories, anecdotes and ineffable warmth, connecting him to his fans. His relaxed on-stage presence belies the depth of his musical knowledge, and fans might just as often be treated to a classic Gershwin or something from the best of Broadway. Taylor’s festive show will feature traditional holiday favorites to celebrate the season. Livingston is a full professor at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught a Stage Performance course since 1989 – voted the most popular course in the catalogue.

Michael Carbonaro: Lies on Stage – 2 shows

5 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30 | Starting at $65 ($45 for kids)

Best known as the star and executive producer of the hit series, THE CARBONARO EFFECT on truTV, Michael Carbonaro has been a performing magician since his youth. He studied experimental theater at New York University with aspirations of entertaining audiences through a variety of theatrical mediums, including hidden-camera magic, which he later showcased frequently on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Carbonaro has also made frequent television appearances in shows including Happily Divorced, 30 Rock, Grey’s Anatomy, and CSI Miami.

MountainFilm On Tour – Beaver Creek

6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4 | Ticket $15 ($20 day of show)

Presented in partnership with Vail Symposium and featuring moderator Jim Butterworth, VPAC hosts an evening of inspiring and captivating films handpicked from the Mountainfilm festival in Telluride. Mountainfilm on Tour in Beaver Creek will include a collection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and engaging documentary short films that align with Mountainfilm’s mission to use the power of film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world. Founded in 1979, Mountainfilm is one of America’s longest-running film festivals, held every Memorial Day weekend in Telluride.

Additional winter shows beginning after the New Year include: the VPAC Dance Series: Alonzo King Lines Ballet: Deep River (Jan. 14), MOMIX: Alice (Jan. 28), STOMP (Feb. 17 & 18), and BODYTRAFFIC: Bolero by Fernando Hernando Magadan (March 22); Classical Series: Chanticleer (Jan. 25), Cameron Carpenter, organ (Feb. 4), Colorado Symphony feat. Conductor Eun Sun Kim and pianist Inon Barnatan (Feb. 8), Takacs Quartet (Feb. 11), Ray Chen Violin (March 19), and Ensemble Mélange – Presented Onstage! (Mar. 30); and STARS Series: MOMIX: Alice (Jan. 29), Snap Contemporary Mystery Performance, BODYTRAFFIC: Bolero By Fernando Hernando Magadan (March 22), The Boy Who Cried Wolf (April 2), Puppy Pals Live! (April 4), Frindle (April 15), and Colorado Symphony Mini Música: The Ugly Duckling (April 30).

For more information about the VPAC’s schedule and to purchase tickets, visit vilarpac.org or call 970-845-8497.