So we come, inevitably but somehow still surprisingly, to the end of another calendar year. As usual, most of this month's calendar has been taken over with glitter, sleigh bells, drag queens, & various other festive entertainments. There are always a few events each month that are difficult to categorize (is a Palestrina concert "early music / baroque" or "choral"? should I cross-reference? What about the program that is mostly premieres – meaning, modern / contemporary music – except for a major piece by Beethoven or Schubert? Does any of this even matter to anyone but me?), but December usually has more of those than any other month. There's a Holiday Concerts section, but it's a far-reaching & somewhat arbitrary, even fanciful, classification (even so, Messiahs & Nutcrackers are listed separately, & usually, if there are enough of them Christmas Carols are as well, but this year there were only one or two of those): arbitrary & fanciful, much like the various holidays themselves.
I don't claim to have been rigorous in my separation of Holiday Concerts from non-holiday concerts: is a program centering on "winter" all that different from one celebrating the Winter Solstice? You'd think that, as is alleged of pornography, you know it when you see it. But that's a bit dubious; there are realms of erotica or titillation or plain old sensuous appreciation that don't count as porn but are maybe close enough to raise eyebrows in some quarters, or among some viewers. A rough rule of thumb: if you might hear Sleigh Ride or Silent Night, that counts as a holiday concert. But what about Messiaen's La Nativité du Seigneur? It doesn't feel quite right, perhaps a bit inadequate, to stick that in Holiday Concerts. (It's under Instrumental, if you're looking for it.) But there are programs of high-toned Renaissance music that proudly bill themselves as Holiday concerts, & who am I to dispute that, whether the title is based on religious belief or marketing savvy?
On the other hand, there are surprising riches in the Holiday Concerts assortment, & I encourage you (if there's any "you" who is actually reading these posts) to check it out: there are the expected things, which can be a comfort during times that are cold & lightless, literally as well as metaphorically, but there are also surprises. Years ago I was visiting some friends & I had bought some new CDs & offered to put one on – there was a collection of Tudor Christmas music, which I foolishly described as such, & one of my friends visibly recoiled. I don't know what he was expecting: some Elizabethan version of Jingle Bells? It was music that sounded like early modern church music, & if you didn't know what holiday the pieces were composed for (& didn't speak Latin), you wouldn't associate it with Christmas. All I'm really saying, I guess, is to go in with an open mind & open ears, which is actually very good advice for most situations, so you're welcome.
Merry happy whatever you celebrate. . . .
Ceremonial
The 40th Annual Japanese New Year Bell-Ringing Ceremony will take place at the Asian Art Museum on 28 December; reservations are strongly recommended: "Led by Reverend Gengo Akiba, this inspiring ceremony includes a purification ritual and chanting of the Buddhist Heart Sutra. The bell is struck 108 times to usher in the New Year and curb the 108 mortal desires (bonno) that, according to Buddhist belief, torment humankind."
Theatrical
The Marsh revives Brian Copeland’s The Jewelry Box: A Genuine Christmas Story, written & performed by Copeland & directed by David Ford, on 29 November at the Marsh Berkeley & 13 December at The Marsh San Francisco.
Shotgun Players at the Ashby Stage continue their production of Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George through 30 December.
San Francisco Playhouse continues its production of Sondheim's Into the Woods through 17 January 2026.
Peter Pan - Panto in the Presidio, a British-style holiday pantomime directed by Liam Vincent, runs at the Presidio Theater from 29 November through 28 December.
On 2 December at The Marsh Berkeley, you can see Title Pending (I assume this is the actual title, & not a website placeholder), written & performed by Heather Tyson, about a woman who thinks her life is going in the "right" direction, until she receives a mysterious text from her husband that sends her off course.
Broadway SF presents The Golden Girls Live: The Christmas Episodes from 4 to 21 December at the Curran Theater.
Theater Rhinoceros presents Pirates!, written & directed by John Fisher, from 4 to 13 December; the drama explores what happens when a married gay male couple sailing around the world are captured by contemporary pirates off east Africa.
On 5 December at the Calvin Simmons Theater in Oakland, Oaklash presents The Last 7 Days of Obsidienne Obsurd: An Experimental Drag Concert, featuring Obsidienne's "personal story of gender transition alongside the migration story of their Chinese ancestors to America"; Obsurd is a classically trained violinist & the piece includes the world premiere of a composition "developed in collaboration with Paul Wiancko of the Kronos Quartet".
From 5 December through 11 January 2026, the New Conservatory Theater Center presents Ruthless!, a musical mash-up of The Bad Seed & All About Eve, with book & lyrics by Joel Paley, music by Marvin Laird, & direction by Dyan McBride; I saw this last year (post on it is here) & found it very enjoyable; if you're a theater buff, chances are you'll enjoy it too.
BroadwaySF presents A Drag Queen Christmas, hosted by Nina West, on 6 December at the Orpheum.
On 6 - 7 December at the Potrero Stage, PlayGround presents the fourth annual A Very Hitchcock Christmas, featuring The Birds Is Coming by Jonathan Josephson, directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza; Dial M for Merry by Christian Wilburn, directed by Lana Richards; Fool Proof by Kimberly Ridgeway, directed by Karina Gutierrez; How the Bates (Almost) Stole Christmas by JS Puller, directed by Peter J Kuo; & Shadow of an Uncle Nick by Mark Sherstinsky, directed by Jim Kleinmann (advance reservations are strongly recommended as the performances are free, though donations are gratefully accepted).
On 8 December at Z Below, as part of their Off the Page Staged Reading Series, Word for Word will present The Dinner Party by Joshua Feris, directed by Ryan Tasker.
The African-American Shakespeare Company presents its annual production of Cinderella, directed by Gary Stanford, at the Alcazar Theater from 12 to 21 December.
On 16 - 18 December at the New Conservatory Theater Center, you can experience the 18th annual performance of Katya, A Holiday Spectacular, with J Conrad Frank as Katya Smirnoff-Skyy & music direction by Joe Wicht
Berkeley Rep presents Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story Told by Jefferson Mays, a one-person version of the classic as adapted by Mays, Susan Lyons, & Michael Arden, directed by Barry Edelstein, & that's at the Roda Theater from 16 to 21 December.
BroadwaySF presents Moulin Rouge! The Musical from 16 to 28 December at the Orpheum Theater.
On 19 December at the Golden Gate Theater, BroadwaySF presents The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show, featuring "drag queen powerhouses BenDeLaCreme & Jinkx Monsoon . . . fans can expect . . . over-the-top camp spectacle, side-splitting gags, brand new songs, heartfelt storytelling, thrilling dance numbers, and iconic costumes".
Talking
City Arts & Lectures presents Tourmaline, in conversation with Kate Schatz, Celebrating the Life of Marsha P Johnson, on 10 December at the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco.
On 15 December at the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco, City Arts & Lectures presents Angela Davis & Hilton Als in a celebratory discussion of A Sisterhood: Toni Morrison, June Jordan, Angela Davis.
Operatic
On 7 December at the Caroline Hume Concert Hall at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Conservatory will celebrate faculty member & composer David Conte with a program dedicated to his work: first there will be a preview of A Christmas Carol, an Opera in Two Acts based on the novella by Charles Dickens, with libretto by Nicholas Giardini, featuring a Choral Prelude & Scene One, with the Nebula Consort led by Eric Choate & the SFCM Chamber Ensemble conducted by Jeffrey Thomas & soloists Brian Thorsett (tenor, Ebenezer Scrooge), Samuel Kidd (baritone, Bob Cratchit), & Matt Boehler (bass, Jacob Marley); the second half of the program, The Masque of the Red Death - Suite #1, will be performed by the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony, led by Robert Mollicone.
Choral
Sacred and Profane presents Gather at the River: Songs of Water & Ice, a program celebrating water & the forms it takes during winter, through music by Brahms, Stanford, Poulenc, Britten, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor & contemporary composers Judith Bingham & Staffan Storm, as well as arrangements of African American spirituals by Stacey Gibbs & folk & pop songs by the Real Group & Evert Taube, & you can hear it all on 5 December at Noe Valley Ministry in San Francisco, 6 December at Saint Mark's Episcopal in Berkeley, & 7 December at the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa.
On 14 December at Zellerbach Hall, Cal Performances presents the Soweto Gospel Choir, performing music celebrating "love and peace, from gospel classics and spirituals to feel-good pop songs by Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Leonard Cohen, and others".
Vocalists
On 5 December at Saint Mark's Lutheran, San Francisco Performances presents Trio Mediæval, joined by Hurdy-Gurdy player Kevin Devine, who will perform works by Devine, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Coleh Harkavvy, Andrew Smith, Marianne Reidarsdatter Eriksen, Sungji Hong, Gavin Bryars, & the indefatigable Anonymous.
On 5 December at the Bankhead Theater, Livermore Valley Opera presents an evening with Franc D’Ambrosio, the "performer known worldwide as 'The World’s Longest-Running Phantom' from The Phantom of the Opera"; the performance is a benefit for the Opera Company.
Holiday Concerts
The San Francisco Symphony has its usual holiday offerings: beginning on 30 November, with A Merry-Achi Christmas, with José Hernández, leading his Mariachi Sol de México in a celebration of Mexican holiday traditions (the SF Symphony does not appear on this program); on 3 December, you can spend Christmas with the Count Basie Orchestra, as conductor Jonathan Taylor Rush leads the Orchestra & SF Symphony players, along with singer Carmen Bradford; on 7 December, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser leads the Symphony, along with Carolyn McArdle (Narrator), Elijah Cineas (bass-baritone), the San Francisco Boys Chorus, the Young Women's Choral Projects, Mariachi Bonitas, the Kugelplex Klezmer Ensemble, & the San Francisco Ballet Training Program in Deck the Halls, a grab-bag of holiday favorites & fun; on 14 December, Radu Paponiu leads the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra in Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf, with narrator Joshua Dela Cruz; on 16 December you can hear Peabo Bryson and Friends: Home for the Holidays, featuring vocalists Bryson, Sheena Easton, Ruben Studdard, & trumpeter / vocalist Ilya Serov (the SF Symphony does not appear on this program); on 17 December, Edwin Outwater & Peaches Christ co-emcee Holiday Gaiety, featuring Evan Mills (comedian), Sasha Allen (vocalist), Adore Delano (vocalist & actress), Sister Roma (drag performer), Sapphira Cristál (drag performer & vocalist), Nikola Printz (mezzo-soprano & aerialist), & the SF Gay Men’s Chorus; on 20 December, Edwin Outwater, joined by narrator Jon Miller, leads Symphony musicians in Holiday Brass; & on 21 - 22 December, Ming Luke, joined by narrator Michael Covert, leads the band & assorted dancers in A Charlie Brown Christmas—LIVE!.
Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble performs its beloved Wintersongs program throughout the Bay Area from 5 to 21 December; check here for specific dates & locations, & you may want to move quickly, as these shows tend to sell out.
Cantare Chorale, joined by the Aurora & Nova Youth Choirs, performs Lead With Love, a holiday program focusing on "hope, promise, justice, love, peace, compassion, and unity" through music by Willan, Memley, Hailstork, Runestad, Ešenvalds, & more, including C H Johnson’s All of Us from Considering Matthew Shepard, & you can hear it all on 6 December at the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church & 7 December at First Presbyterian in Oakland.
Valérie Sainte-Agathe leads Philharmonia Baroque in Gloria, a program offering the world premiere of Quem Pastores Laudavere (Him Whom Shepherds Praised) by Roderick Williams (written for PBO), the American premiere of Caroline Shaw's The Holdfast, Praetorius's setting of Quem Pastores Laudavere, Corelli's Christmas Concerto, & Vivaldi's celebrated Gloria, & you can hear it all on 5 December at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, 6 December at First Congregational in Berkeley, & 7 December at Bing Concert Hall at Stanford.
On 6 - 7 December at the Strand Theater, ACT presents vocalist Debbie Wileman (who "impersonates classic female singers of the Golden Age, particularly Judy Garland"), performing "Judy Garland": We Need a Little Christmas".
On 7 December at the Orinda Theater, the Dynamic Miss Faye Carol & her all-star string quartet present a Carolizing Christmas concert.
Nate Widelitz leads the California Bach Society in Laudate Coeli: Songs of Light in Winter’s Deep, featuring "a radiant program of Christmas music spanning three centuries", including Buxtehude’s Das neugeborne Kindelein, Charpentier’s In nativitatem Domini & his Magnificat, Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël, Brahms’s O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf, & Hugo Distler’s Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, with soloists Rita Lilly (soprano), Mindy Ella Chu (mezzo-soprano), Corey Head (tenor), & Chung-Wai Soong (bass), & you can hear it 5 December at Trinity+St. Peter’s Episcopal in San Francisco, 6 December at First Congregational in Palo Alto, & 7 December at Saint John's Presbyterian in Berkeley.
Pianist / vocalist / composer Ben Folds & his quartet will perform songs from his Christmas album Sleigher on 8 - 9 December at the SF Jazz Center.
On 9 December at the Berkeley City Club, Berkeley Chamber Performances presents Brass Over Bridges (Robert Giambruno & Ari Micich, trumpets; Erika Miras, French horn; Esther Armendariz, trombone; Jonathan Seiberlich, Tuba), presents a mostly holidayish program featuring music by Jennifer Higdon, Ludwig Maurer, Dale Trumbore, Gabrieli, Ken Amis, Tchaikovsky, Leroy Anderson, José Feliciano, & others.
Daniel Hope, violinist & Concertmaster of the New Century Chamber Orchestra, will be joined by the San Francisco Girls Chorus, led by Valérie Sainte-Agathe, in In Winter's Glow, a program featuring season music by John Rutter, Elgar, Vivaldi, Ola Fjeilo, William Billings, Benjamin Britten, David Conte, Gordon Getty, Jake Heggie, & Nico Muhly, as well as traditional carols arranged by Rutter, & you can hear it all 11 December at First Church (First Congregational) in Berkeley, 12 December at Saint Stephen's Episcopal in Belvedere, & 13 December at Saint Mark's Lutheran in San Francisco.
On 10 December at Saint Joseph's Arts Society in San Francisco, One Found Sound offers its annual Holiday Pop Rox, offering an "evening of dazzling drag, thrilling vocals, and orchestral magic . . . Hosted by the incredible Melinda Campero with drag artist Nicki J."
On 13 December in Zellerbach Hall, Cal Performances presents the Ensemble Cherubim Chamber Chorus, directed by Marika Kuzma & joined by special guests Frederica von Stade (mezzo-soprano), L Peter Callender (as narrator), & the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, performing Carols of Birds, Bells, and Peace from Ukraine: A Holiday Celebration.
Sven Edward Olbash leads Tactus SF in A Renaissance Christmas, featuring Pérotin's Beata Viscera, Orlando di Lasso's Prophetiae Sibyllarum, & Praetorius' cantata Vom Himmel Hoch, & you can hear them 12 December at Saint Paul's Episcopal in Oakland & 14 December at Saint John the Evangelist, Episcopal, in San Francisco; a reception follows each concert.
On 13 December at Saint Mary Magdalene in Berkeley, WAVE (Women's Antique Vocal Ensemble) presents Green Grow’th the Holly: A Winter Celebration in Song, a holiday program "featuring selections from medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque times, beautiful modern pieces, and world music for winter. Composers include Bassano, des Prez, Dufay, Handl, Leonarda, and Zumaya, among others – plus a piece written just for us by Melike Yersiz based on a Turkish poem celebrating the season. Featuring instrumentalists: Tobi Szuts on viola de gamba; Howard Kadis on lute; and the early brass quartet Mane Musica".
On 13 December at Calvary Presbyterian in San Francisco, the San Francisco Boys Chorus presents its Winter Concert, including "carols and holiday classics, featuring selections from Bach to Broadway".
Violinist Mads Tolling, joined by Colin Hogan (piano & accordion), Gary Brown (bass), & Eric Garland (drums), will perform Cool Yule, "jazzified versions of carols from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, capturing the mysticism, customs and sounds of the Nordic countries along with the joy and soul of American jazz", at the SF Jazz Center on 13 - 14 December.
The Spanish Harlem Orchestra performs Salsa Navidad at the SF Jazz Center on 13 - 14 December.
Chanticleer performs their beloved Christmas program throughout the Bay Area from 13 to 23 December; check here for dates & locations.
On 13 December at Old First Concerts, Matthew Otto leads the Young Women’s Chorus of San Francisco in Angelic Voices: Carols by Candlelight, joined by cellist Sophie Deng, & pianist Dara Phung to perform the SF premiere of Sarah Quartel's Snow Angel, along with music by Bach, Joni Mitchell, traditional Puerto Rican carols, & more.
Nicolas Dosman leads Pacific Edge Voices in Still I Rise: PEV's Celebration of Hope, a holiday program featuring a range of holiday classics & favorites, with performances on 13 December at the Maybeck First Church of Christ, Scientist in Berkeley & 14 December at the Caroline Hume Concert Hall at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
The Golden Gate Men's Chorus presents Tidings of Joy, a holiday program featuring music by "Vaughan Williams, traditional carols arranged by the King’s Singers, contemporary holiday songs arranged by BYU Vocal Point, and more", & that's 13 - 14 & 16 - 17 December at Saint Matthew's Lutheran in San Francisco (near Mission Dolores).
On 14 December at the Chabot College Performing Arts Center in Hayward, Alexander Kahn leads the Bay Philharmonic in Sounds of the Season!, a holiday program featuring music by Mariachi Nueva Sangre as well as the Bay Philharmonic & the Bay Phil Youth Orchestra musicians, in a program that will include "[f]estive Hanukkah selections, Holiday favorites with the CO_LLAB Choir, A lively audience sing-along" & more.
On 14 December at Old First Concerts, Ken Jue leads the Ragazzi Boys Chorus of Silicon Valley in Rejoice!, "a diverse program which explores the different ways we welcome each other to celebrate our holiday traditions".
San Francisco Choral Artists present Mystery, Magi, & Mittens, a program featuring music "from the 15th to 21st centuries, including Tye, Poulenc, Brahms, Byrd, Conte, Scarlatti, Parker, and Puerling, and Max Marcus (Composer-in-Residence) and Peter Hilliard (Composer-Not-in-Residence)", & you can hear it on 14 December at Saint Mark's Lutheran in San Francisco, 20 December at All Saints' Episcopal in Palo Alto, & 21 December at Saint Paul's Episcopal in Oakland.
The Klezmatics celebrate Hanukkah at the SF Jazz Center on 15 December.
On 15 December at Davies Hall, the San Francisco Girls Chorus presents Esperanza Del futuro, featuring all levels of the Girls Chorus & special guest Diana Gameros; the program features "annual favorites including The First Nowell and Silent Night" as well as new music, including the premiere of a work for 250 voices by the SFGC's 2025-2026 Composer-in-Residence Nicolás Lell Benavides.
George Cole and his Orchestra play Nat King Cole's The Magic of Christmas at the SF Jazz Center on 18 - 21 December.
Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval brings his Swinging Holiday to the SF Jazz Center on 18 - 19 December.
On 19 - 21 December, the Lorraine Hansberry Theater presents Soulful Christmas, with musical direction by Yvonne Cobbs & stage direction by Margo Hall, at the Magic Theater in Fort Mason.
On 20 December at Zellerbach Hall, Cal Performances presents the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
Holiday Spectacular 2025!, specific repertory has not been announced, but the performance will be a "little naughty, but mostly very nice".
On 20 December, the San Francisco Choral Society performs their Festival of Carols program at Trinity + St. Peter's Episcopal Church in San Francisco.
On 20 December at Old First Concerts, Golden Bough (Margie Butler, Paul Espinoza & Kathy Sierra) present Christmas in a Celtic Land, drawing on holiday music & carols from Ireland, Scotland, Wales & Cornwall, performed on Celtic harp, penny-whistle, guitar, accordion, violin, viola, mandolin, & bodhran.
Pianist Cyrus Chestnut plays Vince Guaraldi’s music for A Charlie Brown Christmas at the SF Jazz Center on 20 December, & on 21 December, also at the SF Jazz Center, the Adam Shulman Trio will also play Guaraldi's music for A Charlie Brown Christmas.
On 21 December at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, you can celebrate the Winter Solstice with Barbara Higbie and Friends; in addition to pianist / violinist / vocalist Higbie, the friends include guitarist Vicki Randle, percussionist Michaelle Goerlitz, cellist Mia Pixley, bassist Kofy Brown, & mandolin player Jasper Manning.
On 23 December at The Chapel in San Francisco, you can hear The Fabulous Bud E. Luv Christmas Extravaganza, if you're hankering for an old-school-Vegas-type Christmas show.
On 23 December at the Golden Gate Theater, BroadwaySF presents RAIN – A Beatles Christmas Tribute, mixing "holiday favorites alongside the legendary sounds of the Beatles".
Orchestral
On 5 & 6 December at Hertz Hall, the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, led by David Milnes & Wei Cheng, will perform the North American debut of Susan Lim's Fantasy of Companionship for Piano and Orchestra (with piano soloist Mark Bebbington & the University Chorus) along with Holst's The Planets, & excerpts from the Star Wars score by John Williams.
On 6 December at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony's new music director, Robert Mollicone, will help celebrate David Conte's 70th birthday by performing his The Masque of the Red Death, Suite #1, along with Debussy's Petite Suite, orchestrated by Henri Büsser, & Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture & excerpts from his Nutcracker Ballet.
On 12 December, you can experience A Special Evening with Jon Batiste and the San Francisco Symphony, featuring "a performance of symphonic-infused hits and a few holiday surprises."
On 13 December at the Taube Atrium Theater, Jessica Bejarano leads the San Francisco Philharmonic in Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture, Bruch's Violin Concerto #1 in G minor, Opus 26 (with soloist Wyatt Underhill), & the Dvořák 8.
BroadwaySF presents The Music of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Rings of Power - In Concert on 13 December at the Orpheum; no word on who exactly is performing.
On 14 December at First Baptist in San Francisco, the San Francisco Civic Music Association presents Civic Strings: A Nordic Winter, led by Michelle Maruyama & featuring Impromptu by Sibelius, Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in A minor, RV 357 (with soloist Maruyama), Vivaldi Rocks, an arrangement of Winter from the Four Seasons arranged by Mark Wood (with Maruyama again as soloist), the Air & Gigue from Bach's Orchestral Suite #3, & Grieg's 2 Nordic Melodies, Opus 63; the concert is free but reservations are appreciated.
On 14 December at the Paramount, Kedrick Armstrong leads the Oakland Symphony & Chorus in Let Us Break Bread Together, their annual holiday concert, this year celebrating the legacy of Whitney Houston.
Jory Fankuchen leads the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra in Louise Farrenc's Symphony #3 in G Minor, Finale, Paganini's Violin Concerto #1, Allegro maestoso (with soloist Lisa Saito), & the Beethoven 7, on 30 December at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, 31 December at First Congregational in Berkeley, & 1 January at First United Methodist in Palo Alto; the concerts are free but RSVPs are appreciated.
Chamber Music
On 2 December at Old Saint Mary's in San Francisco, Noontime Concerts presents cellist Michael Graham & pianist Aileen Chanco playing Arvo Pärt's Fratres, Chopin's Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Opus 65, & Shostakovich's Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor, Opus 40.
On 7 December at Noe Valley Ministry, Noe Music presents pianist Inon Barnatan performing "an all-Schubert program, including the Impromptu in F minor (D.935/1) and the towering Sonata in B-flat major (D.960). He is joined by co-Artistic Director and violinist Owen Dalby for the composer’s radiant Fantasie in C major for violin and piano (D.934)". If you'd like more of Barnatan, on 9 December at the Barbro Osher Recital Hall, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music features its monthly Chamber Music Tuesday, this time featuring pianist Barnatan, who, along with the Esme Quartet (Wonhee Bae & Yuna Ha, violins; Dimitri Murrath, viola; Yeeun Heo, cello), will give the world premiere of Juri Seo's String Quartet, along with Rachmaninoff's Trio élégiaque #1 in G minor & Dvořák's Piano Quintet #2, Opus 81; Barnatan will also give a Master Class at the Conservatory on 8 December.
This month, San Francisco Performances completes its Saturday morning Herbst Hall lecture / concert series, with host / lecturer Robert Greenberg & the Esmé Quartet (Wonhee Bae & Yuna Ha, violins; Dimitri Murrath, viola; Yeeun Heo, cello) exploring the quartets of Schubert on 13 December, when they will examine & perform the String Quintet in C Major, D 956, & the Cello Quintet (with cellist Paul Wiancko).
On 15 December at the Caroline Hume Concert Hall of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Conservatory faculty member & SF Symphony Principal Flute Yubeen Kim will perform Philippe Gaubert's Sicilienne & his Berceuse (joined by Yu-Hsin Galaxy Su on piano), CPE Bach's Trio Sonata in D Minor, & Franz Doppler's Andante et Rondo, Opus 25 (joined by Julin Cheung on flute & Yu-Hsin Galaxy Su on piano); the second half of the program will be Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's Flute Duet #4 in F Major (joined by Julin Cheung on flute), Lensky's Aria from Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky (I assume in an arrangement), & Prokofiev's Sonata for Flute and Piano in D Major, Opus 94 (joined by Yu-Hsin Galaxy Su on piano).
Instrumental
Organist Jonathan Dimmock will give his annual performance of Messiaen's La Nativité du Seigneur. on 7 December at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland.
On 13 December at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, pianist Vijay Iyer, sarod player Alam Khan, & tabla player Nitin Mitta will improvise & explore their sound-worlds together.
Early / Baroque Music
Voices of Music will perform Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, joining in the 300th anniversary celebrations, as well as his Concerto for Four Violins featuring soloists Elizabeth Blumenstock, YuEun Kim, Isabelle Seula Lee, Augusta McKay Lodge, Hanneke van Proosdij, & Shelby Yamin, & you can hear them 19 December at First United Methodist in Palo Alto, 20 December at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, & 21 December at First Congregational in Berkeley.
On 31 December at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, you can join Jeffrey Thomas & the American Bach Soloists in A Baroque New Year's Eve at the Opera, featuring "Opera Arias, Duets, and Overtures" by Handel (Ariodante, Giulio Cesare, Tamerlano, & Hercules), Rameau (Pygmalion), Gluck (Orphée et Eurydice), & Vivaldi (Ercole sul Termodonte & Griselda), with soloists Sarah Coit (mezzo-soprano) & Matthew Hill (tenor).
Messiah
Jane Glover leads the San Francisco Symphony in Messiah on 5 -6 December at Davies Hall, with soloists Susanna Phillips (soprano), Jennifer Johnson Cano (mezzo-soprano), Josh Lovell (tenor), & Will Liverman (baritone).
Urs Leonhardt Steiner leads the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus (& the audience) in their annual Sing It Yourself Messiah, with soloists Gabrielle Goozee-Nichols (soprano), Celeste Camarena (alto), Ben Sasnet (tenor), & Kirk Eichelberger (bass), on 7 December at Herbst Theater in San Francisco & 14 December at the Clock Tower in Benicia.
The San Francisco Bach Choir performs Part I of Messiah along with Candlelit Seasonal Favorites on 6 - 7 December at Calvary Presbyterian in San Francisco.
Jeffrey Thomas will lead the American Bach Soloists in Messiah in Grace Cathedral on 11 - 12 December, with soloists Liv Redpath (soprano), Ágnes Vojtkó (contralto), Brian Giebler (tenor), & Christian Pursell (bass-baritone).
Modern / Contemporary Music
On 4 December at Littlefield Concert Hall at Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, Other Minds presents Margaret Leng Tan, playing piano & toy piano, performing The Nature of Music: And No Birds Sing, a program focusing on our environmental emergencies through music by John Luther Adams, Lois V Vierk, Somei Satoh, Annie Gosfield, Michael Wookey, Eric Griswold, & John Cage.
On 20 December at the Berkeley Hillside Club, you can celebrate the Winter Solstice with eight world premieres of music for Chamber Orchestra & Jazz Quartet; composed by Daggerboard (Gregory Howe & Erik Jekabson) & by Jekabson alone.
Dance
Smuin Ballet presents its popular The Christmas Ballet, featuring "new works this year by . . . Julia Adam, . . . Amy Seiwert, and . . . Myles Thatcher. In addition to beloved Michael Smuin classics, look for favorite numbers by Val Caniparoli, Nicole Haskins, Ben Needham-Wood, and Rex Wheeler" & that's 22 -23 November at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, 5 - 6 December at the Sunset Center in Carmel, 11 - 14 December at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, & 18 - 28 December at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
ODC Dance gives us its annual performances of The Velveteen Rabbit, choreographed by KT Nelson, & based on the book by Margery Williams, from 29 November to 7 December at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
On 11 December at the Presidio Theater, the Grand Kyiv Ballet performs The Snow Queen, with choreography by Alexander Adbdukarimov & Arshak Galumyan (no mention of where the score comes from).
Nutcrackers
On 1 December at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, The Nutcracker will be performed by International Ballet Stars, part of Classical Arts Entertainment.
San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker, choreographed by Helgi Tomasson, runs at the Opera House from 5 to 28 December.
On 6 - 7 December at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the San Francisco Pride Band puts on A Wicked Dance-Along Nutcracker, featuring music from Tchaikovsky's score as well as The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, & Wicked, as well as dancing & singing by professionals as well as the audience.
On 13 - 14 December at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, City Ballet San Francisco performs The Nutcracker.
On 17 December at the Golden Gate Theater, BroadwaySF presents Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet, "featuring all-new choreography this season by acclaimed Ukrainian choreographer Viktor Davydiuk." along with "marionettes . . . by Petre Puppeteer, and . . . animal puppets, reimagined by . . . Nino Novellino" (& dancers, of course!).
On 19 - 21 December at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, Stapleton School of the Performing Arts presents its 37th annual production of The Nutcracker, with the "green" cast on 19 (evening) & 20 (matinee) December & the "red" cast on 20 (evening) & 21 (matinee) December.
On 20 - 21 December at the Paramount, the Oakland Ballet Company presents Graham Lustig’s The Nutcracker, with the score performed live by the Oakland Symphony & the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir.
Mostly Museums
Claes Oldenburg + Coosje van Bruggen: Thinking Big, featuring "models [from the museum's Doris and Donald Fisher Collection] for four of their most iconic projects, including San Francisco’s own beloved Cupid’s Span" opens at SFMOMA on 20 December.
Cinematic
Frameline has two presentations this month: on 1 December, for World AIDS Day, you can see Marlon Riggs’ Affirmations & Stephen Winter’s Chocolate Babies, "followed by a post-film conversation with representatives from Frameline, the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, and more" (RSVP is required to attend); & on 21 December at the Toni Rembe Theater in San Francisco, you can see a 10th anniversary screening of Carol, with director Todd Haynes expected to attend.
On 7 December at the Great Star Theater, there will be a screening of the Joan Chen film Saving Face, followed by a Q&A with Chen.
The 13th Festival of the Moving Image, featuring recent work by students in the Broadcast Electronic Media Arts (BEMA) and Cinema programs at City College of San Francisco, will take place at the Roxie Theater on 7 December.
At BAM/PFA, here are this month's series: Jerry Ross Barrish: A Life in Film and Art runs 6 to 14 December; & Akira Kurosawa: Four Recent Restorations, featuring refurbished classics Ikiru, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, & High and Low, starts 10 December, with showings scheduled through 20 February 2026.
On 21 December at the Orinda Theater, you can experience the 1925 Ben Hur – that is, the best of Ben Hurs. Charlton who? There is only Ramon Novarro!
This month's Classic Movie Matinee at the Orinda Theater, hosted by Matías Bomba, is as usual on the last Tuesday of the month – 30 December – & will be a 75th anniversary showing of Sunset Boulevard, & I can't think of a better way to end this year than tangoing on Valentino-approved tile floors with Gloria Swanson.
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