With Handsome and Gretel, perennial family favorites No String Marionette Company serve up a scrumptious rendition of the fairy tale classic. A poor woodcutter and his family live on the edge of a deep forest. Sister Gretel works hard to help the family while brother Handsome thinks he can breeze through life on his good looks alone.  Lost one day in the forest, the children are lured to the candy cottage of a witch who has very poor eyesight and is blind to Handsome’s charms, placing Gretel in mortal danger. This is a fresh, new, all-too-relevant version of a No Strings classic. The puppets’ annual holiday sojourn to Chandler will also feature the customary visit from Santa Claus!

At age 13, songstress Lorrie Morgan was the youngest person ever to become a member of the famed Grand Ole Opera. The country giant has gone on to win four Country Music Association “Female Vocalist of the Year” awards, notch fourteen Top Ten hits, and sell more than eight million records over the course of her illustrious, song-filled career. Morgan has left a strong, contemporary woman’s mark on country music history with timeless standards such as “Five Minutes,” “Except for Monday,” “Something in Red,” “What Part of No,” “Watch Me,” and “A Picture of Me Without You.” Morgan’s concert will honor local firefighters and celebrate the recent opening of the new Randolph Village fire station.

NOTE: VIP ticket holders will be seated in the first two rows of the Music Hall, and will be admitted to a private meet-&-greet with Lorrie Morgan following the performance.

Video: “A Picture of Me Without You” –

Video: “What Part of No” –

No Jingle Bells or mistletoe here — this seasonal program by New England’s acclaimed roots-&-rhythm quartet skips the holiday canon and goes straight to the power and beauty of roots music at Christmas. Rani and the band set verses by hallowed poets to music, explore the percussion-driven music of the Georgia Sea islands and Louisiana, delve into traditional carols, and much more.

Audio: “Children, Go Where I Send Thee” (from “Wintersong” –

Audio: “Maybe This Christmas” (from “Wintersong”) –

Admired and sought after for both its fresh interpretations of the classical music canon and its championing of works by 20th and 21st century composers, the Borromeo String Quartet has been hailed for its “edge-of-the-seat performances” by the Boston Globe, which called it “simply the best.” Showcasing the ensemble’s extraordinary flair for both the classic and the contemporary, Borromeo’s Chandler program includes Haydn’s String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 71 No. 1; Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 12, Op. 127; and Ligeti’s Quartet #2.

Video: Beethoven’s “Op. 18, No.1,” Live at Suntory Hall, Tokyo –

With roots deep in old-time fiddle music, Donna the Buffalo weaves together a soulful mix of Cajun, zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country sounds into its own, singular  musical stew. Touring the United States continuously for nearly 30 years, Donna the Buffalo is one of the most dynamic and eclectic bands on the American roots music scene. All Music Guidesays, “This is what 21st-century Americana sounds like — a little bit of this and a little bit of that . . . a place where the past and history meet easily in the immediate now, and everybody feels like dancing.”

Video: “Swing That Thing” –

Video: “I Love My Tribe” –

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

Thursday, January 10, 2019 10 am

For grades pre-K–7 • $7

Beloved stories by Eric Carle, award-winning children’s book illustrator and author, are retold through the magic of black light and fanciful puppets. The Very Hungry Caterpillar follows the wonderful adventures of a very tiny and hungry caterpillar as he eats his way through an amazing variety of foods on his path to becoming a beautiful butterfly. Little Cloud playfully transforms himself into various creatures and things. The Mixed-Up Chameleon is bored with sitting around predictably changing color all day. Following a trip to the zoo, he attempts to emulate all the beautiful animals he sees before realizing that there is value in his own unique self.