Event Hero

Scenes from Life: Joy

Click HERE to register via Eventbrite. *Please note this ticket doesn’t guarantee late entry as our concerts are open seating, which is first-come, first-served. We strongly recommend guests arrive early. Doors open at 6:00 pm.

A Special Opportunity Before Our December 20 Concert
Guests attending our December 20 concert are invited to enjoy a rare pre-concert exhibition in the Roberts Gallery (next to Barnum Hall) from 6:00–7:00 pm. SMMUSD visual arts faculty member Laurie Ann Gutierrez has curated a special display of 1930s Works Progress Administration (WPA) artworks, shown publicly for the first time in over 12 years.
Arrive early, explore this historic collection, and then join us for the 7:00 pm performance.

Santa Monica Symphony
Pola Benke, conductor

Step into the spirit of the holidays with a concert full of festive cheer, elegant sparkle, and timeless classics. Brahms opens the program with the boisterous Academic Festival Overture, setting the tone for a celebration. Glazunov’s Winter evokes the quiet beauty of a snow-covered landscape, while Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, in both a traditional (with ballerinas) and klezmer version, evokes the magical. Leroy Anderson’s joyful A Christmas Festival delivers pure holiday fun and Christmas on Broadway rounds out the program with a medley of treasured holiday tunes.

Program

Johannes Brahms – Academic Festival Overture

Alexander Glazunov – Winter (from The Seasons)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker Suite 

Intermission

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arr. Stoup – A Klezmer Nutcracker

Leroy Anderson – A Christmas Festival

John Higgins (arr.) – Christmas on Broadway

Date

Dec 20 2025

Time

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location

Barnum Hall
Barnum Hall, Santa Monica High School, 600 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica
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