Our area's roster of holiday-themed concerts, which began with November 17's annual Holiday Pops at the i wireless Center, will continue at the Moline venue with November 30's 12 Gifts of Christmas, a New Anthem presentation emceed by Lisa Whelchel of The Facts of Life fame and showcasing performances by, among others, contemporary Christian artists and Grammy Award winners Steven Curtis Chapman and Laura Story.

Those are impressive headliners. But when it comes to gifts of a musical nature, 12 is really low-balling it; the Quad Cities and its neighboring burgs will actually be hosting more than two dozen holiday concerts between November 30 and December 22, among them even more engagements featuring nationally beloved singers and musicians.

The Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse opened its presentation of Miracle on 34th Street on Friday, and if you're familiar with the 1947 film classic this musical version is based on, you should know that Laila Haley, who portrays Susan Walker, isn't on a par with the movie's Natalie Wood. She's actually so much better than Wood that it's not even funny.

Music

Wildlife

Rozz-Tox

Tuesday, November 13, 8 p.m.

It's November, it's chilly, it's time to trade the fall jacket in for the winter coat ... . Who's up for seeing some wildlife? Better yet, who's up for seeing some Wildlife from the comfort of a heated building while sipping a Vietnamese coffee?

Her first CD, Kashish - Attraction, earned her a Best Global Album nomination at the 2002 Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys. Her second, 2003's Beyond Boundaries, received the Juno for Best World Music Album of the Year. Her latest, 2011's Aam Zameen - Common Ground, made her a two-time Juno winner in that category.

Consequently, the estimable world musician and frequent touring artist Kiran Ahluwalia must be feeling relatively secure about career longevity, yes?

"No," says the Indo-Canadian singer/songwriter, with a laugh, during a recent phone interview. "Oh, God, no.

"I mean," she continues, "I released my fifth CD last year, and I've been doing this full-time for 12 years now, and I definitely feel like I have enough gigs lined up for the next two years. But there really isn't any security in my portion of the industry. So you kind of have to have short-term plans - a year down the road, two years maximum. Because after that, who knows what's going to happen?"