A Peter White Christmas Featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum

A Peter White Christmas Featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum will play Monday, December 12th

A Peter White Christmas
Featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

A holiday concert by jazz composer/guitarist Peter White and friends has become one of the Lyric’s most popular annual traditions. This year, he’s joined by saxophonist/vocalist Mindi Abair and 2011 Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum, who will make his debut appearance at the Lyric.

The talented smooth jazz trio will perform a terrific blend of seasonal standards, favorite tracks and new selections. Holiday favorites will include everything from “Silent Night” and “Frosty the Snowman” to original tunes such as Abair’s “I Can’t Wait for Christmas.”

White first rose to fame as the guitarist behind legendary singer/songwriter Al Stewart (“Year of the Cat”). The world-renowned acoustic guitarist has written and recorded with the likes of Basia, Grover Washington, Jr. and Dave Koz. Abair took the jazz scene by storm in 2003, when Jazz Week named her debut album the #1 most played Contemporary Jazz CD of that year; she has remained a staple on the smooth jazz scene ever since. Whalum, new to the tour this year, is a veteran saxophonist whose style includes everything from jazz and R & B to gospel. He has performed with Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Barbra Streisand and Quincy Jones, to name but a few.

“A Peter White Christmas” has been selling out performance halls for nearly a decade now – and this year’s star-powered show promises to be better than ever. It’s a wonderful way to ring in the holidays!

Buy your tickets NOW!

A Conversation with Robert Wagner
Tuesday, December 13th - Wednesday, December 14th - Thursday, December 15th

A Conversation with Robert Wagner
Tuesday, December 13th and Wednesday,
December 14th -7:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 15th -1:00 p.m.

When it comes to Hollywood resumes, Robert Wagner’s is tough to beat. The star of movies, stage and television has had a incredible career spanning six decades. His dozens of movies include “A Kiss Before Dying,” “Titanic,” the “Pink Panther” series, “The Towering Inferno,” “Windmills of the Gods” and “Fatal Error.” And who can forget him as Number Two, the eye-patched assistant to Dr. Evil in the “Austin Powers” movies?

On television, Wagner created such well-known characters as Alexander Mundy in “It Takes a Thief” and Jonathan Hart in “Hart to Hart,” in which he co-starred with Stephanie Powers. (He and Powers later co-starred on the stage in the show “Love Letters.”) In recent years, Wagner has had guest roles on hit T.V. series like “NCIS” and “Two and a Half Men.” His extensive range of work is testament to his adeptness in handling everything from Heavy Drama to light comedy.

In Wagner’s 2008 autobiography, “Pieces of My Heart,” he covered the span of his career, from pre-show business when he caddied as a teenager for Hollywood’s elite at L.A.’s swank Bel-Air Country Club to the meteoric rise of his life on the big and small screens.

“Show business has been my college and my doctoral program,” writes Wagner. “I’ve met queens and kings, seen America and the world.” He’s also loved such fabulous women as Natalie Wood (who he wed twice), Barbara Stanwyck and his current wife, Jill St. John.

Throughout his career, Wagner has worked with a star-studded list of Hollywood greats, including Spencer Tracy, Fred Astaire, Steve McQueen, Sophia Loren, Peter Sellers, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Liz Taylor and Joan Collins. And he has fascinating stories to tell about all of them!

Wagner was a sell-out when he visited Stuart in 2009 for “Booked for Lunch.” In his appearance at the Lyric, he’ll have the chance to expand on his memoirs. You won’t want to miss this rare chance to experience an intimate conversation with one of show business’ most revered talents.

Tickets on Sale NOW!

Dar Williams in Concert
Thursday, December 15th

Dar Williams in Concert
7:00 p.m.

Dar Williams, an idiosyncratic songwriter who writes songs from a uniquely insightful perspective, has become a major force since she debuted on the folk scene in the early 1990s. Her songwriting and performing style have been compared to such artists as Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez – but with a few acidic and at times hilarious twists.

Williams, who began playing the guitar at age nine and composed her first song two years later, writes about the world around her, as she encounters it, and her reaction to it. She uses traditional melodies to express the realities and foibles of contemporary life. She confronts, in her words, “the big picture of how people approach life” by examining and illuminating its minute details. Although Williams primarily performs her own compositions, she has been known to occasionally bring her own inimitable style to cover tunes, among them Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.”

Perhaps even more than her poetic lyrics and melodic vocals, Williams is well-known for her outstanding live performances, which include plenty of between-song banter. She wins universal rave reviews for her appearances, which include the Newport Folk Festival and the Mississippi River Music Fest. She has recorded with such heavy-hitters as Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, Suzanne Vega and trumpet player Chris Botti.

Williams has built a strong and loyal fan base throughout the United States and Europe over the two decades that she has toured and recorded. After you experience her music live, you’ll be a believer, too.

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