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Varied holiday fare offered by United Arts Appeal organizations

Pictured are Kelli O’Hara reprising her Tony Award-winning performance as Anna alongside Tony – and Oscar-nominated Ken Watanabe as the King in the 1891 Fredonia Opera House’s presentation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I,”

Jamestown -United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County (UAA) member organizations are offering an outstanding selection of exciting performances to enrich community members’ holiday celebrations.

Two UAA members team up for “Light Classics and Holiday Pops” this Wednesday. The Jamestown Concert Association presents the Western New York Chamber Orchestra under Artistic Director and Conductor Glen Cortese at the festively decorated Reg Lenna Center for The Arts in downtown Jamestown. Lobby doors open at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments and merriment, while a Southwestern High School string ensemble provides pre-concert music from the lobby balcony. Tickets are $25, $20 for seniors, $7.50 for college students, and free for under 18. They can be purchased by calling the Reg box office at 484-7070 or online at reglenna.com.

“The King and I,” captured live via satellite from London’s Palladium, is the 1891 Fredonia Opera House’s special treat this Thursday at 7 p.m. Set in 1860s Bangkok, this beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to teach his many wives and children. Kelli O’Hara reprises her Tony Award-winning performance as Anna alongside Tony- and Oscar-nominated Ken Watanabe as the King. Tickets are $15, $10 for students. Call 679-1891 for information or visit fredopera.org.

Infinity Visual and Performing Arts students have a busy December. In addition to their Annual Applebee’s Pancake Breakfast with Santa on Saturday from 8 to 10 a.m., they have many free events: Holiday Performance at Raymour & Flanigan, 12-3 p.m., Dec. 15; Holiday Recital at the Infinity Arts Cafe, 6 to 7 p.m., Dec. 20; Holiday and Alumni Show at the Infinity Arts Cafe, 7 to 9 p.m., Dec. 21 and student performances televised on Chautauqua Sunrise Access Channel 5, 8 to 10 a.m., Dec. 22. To learn more, visit infinityperformingarts.org/calendar.

Guest artists from the New York City Ballet are featured in Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet’s presentation of The Nutcracker. Lauren King, Soloist, is the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Joseph Gordon, Principal Dancer, is her Cavalier. Performances are 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 14, and 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 15, at the Reg Lenna Center for The Arts. Tickets range from $16 to $35 and can be purchased by calling the Reg box office at 484-7070 or online at reglenna.com.

Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown presents “Christmas Is…” Friday and Saturday, Dec. 14 and 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m. Helen Merrill directs the performance that includes Little Theatre’s Junior Guilders. Tickets are $10 and can be ordered by calling the box office at 483-1095 or online at lucilleballlittletheatre.org/reservations.

Community Music Project (CMP) will close the official holiday season with presentations of “Twelfth Night” in both Jamestown and Warren. Attired in renaissance costumes, Chautauqua Chamber Singers perform a mixture of traditional Christmas carols, old and new, at First Lutheran Church in Warren on Saturday, Jan. 12, and at First Presbyterian Church in Jamestown on Sunday, Jan. 13. Both concerts are at 4 p.m. A Jamestown tradition for more than 25 years, for the first time both performances will be free of charge. The Jamestown event will be followed by a pie reception.

In addition to providing operating support for these organizations, the United Arts Appeal also awards grants for arts projects to individual artists and other organizations through its Projects Pool Grants Program. Announcement of the 2019 grants process will be made early next year.

To learn more about the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County and find links to each member organization’s website, visit UnitedArtsAppeal.org.

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