PGTHEWASHINGTONPOST.
FRIDAY,NOVEMBER27, 2020the solstice; workshops on making
cocktails and assembling cheese-
boards; team trivia; and music by
DJ Trayze. (A list of cocktail ingre-
dients will be provided in advance,
and participants have the option of
ordering cheeseboard supplies
from Brightwood’s C heesemonster
Studio.) 7:30 to 11 p.m. at smithso-
nianassociates.org. $12 until Nov.
28, then $15.
Dec. 19
Wolf Trap Holiday Sing-a-Long
From Home
While families won’t pack the
Filene Center to sing merrily with
local choral groups and “The Presi-
dent’s Own” United States Marine
Band this year, Wolf Trap is helping
replicate the experience at home.
The streaming broadcast includes
prerecorded performances by the
Marine Band, and singalong ver-
sions of carols and Hanukkah
songs. (A different virtual perform-
ance will take place on Dec. 5.) 4
p.m. at wolftrap.org. Free.
Dec. 20
The Cathedral Choral Society’s
‘Joy of Christmas’
The Cathedral Choral Society has
been hosting its “Joy of Christ-
mas” concerts at Washington Na-
tional Cathedral since 1976, and
that experience shows in the pro-
gram, which was recorded live at
the Cathedral: There are crowd-
pleasers, including “O Come All
Ye Faithful” and “Hark! The Her-
ald Angels Sing” sung by a 20-per-
son chorus; quartets performing
the 16th century “Coventry Carol”
and Holst’s 20th century arrange-
ment of “In the Bleak Midwinter”;
and a solo organ version of the
spiritual “Go Te ll it on the Moun-
tain.” Available for streaming
starting at 3 p.m. at cathedralcho-
ralsociety.org. Free.
Dec. 21
National Symphony Orchestra
Holiday Pops Concert
While the Kennedy Center has
canceled most in-person p erform-
ances through April 25, a trio of
concerts by the National Sympho-
ny Orchestra are being recorded
in the Concert Hall in December.
The one to note is the annual NSO
Holiday Pops program, conduct-
ed by Steven Reineke: Prior years
have included “A ll I Want for
Christmas is You” and “Jingle Bell
Rock” alongside freshly arranged
standards. The concert takes
place on Dec. 18, and will be
posted on the Kennedy Center’s
website the following day. Avail-
able for streaming starting Dec. 19
at kennedy-center.org. Free.
Dec. 22
Christmas with
the Folger Consort
The virtual holiday program by
the Folger Shakespeare Library’s
early-music ensemble includes
Bach’s Cantata No. 140 (“Wachet
auf,” or “Sleepers Wake”), a selec-
tion of seasonal works by 17 th
Century German composer Mi-
chael Praetorius, and a mix of
English and American traditional
carols, performed with strings,
woodwinds and a vocal quartet.
Available for streaming Dec. 11
through Jan. 5. at folger.edu.
$25-$50.Dec. 23
‘A Christmas Carol’ at
Olney Theatre Center
Paul Morella really i mmerses him-
self in “A Christmas Carol” during
the holiday season: Not only did
he adapt and direct this one-man
performance, he portrays dozens
of characters throughout. He has
brought Dickens’s tale to life at
Olney since 2010, a nd t his year, it’s
available to purchase and watch
“as many times as you like” at
home. Available for streaming
Dec. 15 through Jan. 3 at olneythe-
atre.org. $15-$20.Dec. 24
Manassas Ballet Theatre’s
‘The Nutcracker’
Staging “The Nutcracker” during
a pandemic presents a number of
challenges. For the Manassas Bal-
let Theatre, which is releasing a
recording of its annual produc-
tion, it’s a numbers game. For
social distancing reasons, a maxi-
mum of 20 dancers can be on-
stage at George Mason’s Hylton
Performing Arts Center at the
same time, so artistic director
Amy Wolf had to modify the
staging, cutting the number of
snowflakes in half. Rehearsals
presented their own problems,
but some of the paired dancers
are husband-and-wife duos or
live in the same household, which
allows them to practice in close
contact. Still, Wolf is excited for
the company, which will release
two versions with different casts
on Christmas Eve and Christmas
Day. Viewers from as far as Aus-
tralia and Italy have tuned in for
other performances, and Wolf
plans to make all of the compa-
ny’s shows available online in the
future. Available for streaming
for 30 days starting at 7:30 p.m.
at manassasballet.org. $25.Dec. 25
Christmas Day Organ Recital at
Washington National Cathedral
Let Washington National Ca-
thedral’s 10,547-pipe organ pro-
vide the soundtrack to your
Christmas Day, whether you’re
opening presents, preparing
lunch, or just settling in for a
quiet afternoon. Organists Thom-
as Sheehan and George Fergus
present an hour-long program of
festive melodies. Noon to 1 p.m. at
cathedral.org. Free.
[email protected]VADIM SLATVITSKIYWASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRALBRITTANY DILIBERTOFROM TOP: The
Manassas Ballet
rehearses for its
virtual
performance of
“The Nutcracker”;
the Cathedral
Choral Society
was recorded in
October for “Joy
of Christmas”; the
Folger Consort
will stream its
holiday concert
starting Dec. 11.