Ellington At Christmas: Nutcracker Suite
Saturday, December 13, 3 pm & 8 pm
Sunday, December 14, 3 pm
The Apollo Theater will continue celebrating the holiday season with the return of Ellington at Christmas: Nutcracker Suite, featuring some of the best performers in the worlds of theater, jazz and dance. This spectacular presentation will include excerpts from Duke Ellington’s The Nutcracker Suite with jazz interpretations of the original Tchaikovsky composition, arranged by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, and an excerpt from Ellington’s Second Music Concert.
Under the musical direction of David Berger, the two-part program will bring all of the elements of the holiday together through jazz, ballet, tap and gospel. With narration by TV and Broadway actor Norm Lewis, Ellington at Christmas will also feature vocalists Lizz Wright and Priscilla Baskerville, tap dancer Jason Samuels Smith, students from the Dance Theater of Harlem and the 50-voice Arts High School Advance Choir from Newark. Tickets for Ellington at Christmas are $35-$65. Tickets are available at The Apollo Theater Box Office. (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street, NYC.