Sing It to Me Santa
Friday. This year’s 8th Sing It to Me Santa fundraiser from Take Note Colorado has powerful cheerleaders in Colorado politics and music — from Gov. Jared Polis to Lumineers frontman Wesley Schultz — but the nonprofit still needs your financial support to get instruments and lessons into the hands of K-12 students across the state.
Fortunately, this year’s fundraiser is headlined by powerhouse blues vocalist Grace Potter, with an opening set by Tracksuit Wedding feat. Ryan Chrys, on Friday, Dec. 8, at RiNo’s Mission Ballroom. The 16-and-up show starts at 7:30 p.m. at 4242 Wynkoop St. in Denver. Tickets are $40 for general admission via axs.com.
Charlie Brown, meet “The Nutcracker”
Saturday. There’s hardly a more evocative mix of joy and melancholy than Vince Guaraldi’s music for 1965’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” But to mix it up, piano player Ron LeGault’s sturdy jazz sextet has for the last 11 years sprinkled in bits of “The Nutcracker” — played with jazz rhythms — for their “Charlie Brown Goes to the Nutcracker” show.
This year’s events take place Saturday, Dec. 9, as well as Dec. 16 and 23, with sets ranging from 6-9 p.m. at the Hotel St. Julien in Boulder. The musical suite is also available on CD and online thanks to Boulder’s Octave Records, LeGault said.
Free and all-ages, 900 Walnut St. in Boulder. Get there early for the best spots. 720-406-9696 or stjulien.com
“Guaranteed” Snow Days at Children’s Museum
Through Feb. 16, 2024. We’ve still got a couple of weeks until it’s technically winter — this year’s cold solstice falls on Dec. 21 — which makes it the perfect time for Snow Days. The winter-themed experience from the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus is full of interactive, all-ages fun, including an outdoor sock “skating rink,” a snow maze, fire pits and hot cocoa bar, “ice fishing” hut, and guaranteed snow at its Snow Hill (think sledding, snowman building, etc.).
Open now at 2121 Children’s Museum Drive in Denver, near Denver Aquarium. All activities are included with general admission. Tickets: $16-$18, children under 1 free. Call 303-433-7444 or visit mychildsmuseum.org.
Wonderbound’s “Icy Haught”
Through Dec. 17. Original, contemporary dance is hard to find this time of year amid the “Nutcrackers” and other seasonal, bank-making fare. That’s not stopping top-notch Denver outfit Wonderbound from staging a winter-themed show that’s not tethered to religions or decades-old cultural hallmarks.
“Icy Haught,” created by Garrett Ammon and Sarah Tallman, is the second show of Wonderbound’s celebratory 10th season and an ideal conduit to winter warmth, with both “frosty landscapes and sultry escapades” amid musical classics, the company said.
Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7-10 and Dec. 14-17, with Sunday shows at 2 p.m., at 3824 Dahlia St. Access to the entrance and parking are off Dahlia, in Northeast Denver. Tickets: $65. Call 303-292-4700 or visit wonderbound.com.
