On December 10 and 11, one of the Quad Cities' most adored holiday traditions returns to Davenport's Adler Theatre when the professional talents of Ballet Quad Cities perform Tchaikovsky's holiday dance classic The Nutcracker, this eagerly awaited family experience boasting choreography by Artistic Director Courtney Lyon, live musical accompaniment by Orchestra Iowa, and the return of popular guest artist Domingo Rubio, the longtime portrayer of the company's dancing Dracula.

A familiar holiday tale will enjoy a novel retelling at the Mockingbird on Main from December 9 through 17, with the Davenport theatre hosting a new version of Charles Dicken's timeless yuletide story A Christmas Carol performed by a three-person cast in an abridged, radio-comedy format.

With their newest, critically acclaimed album Spark released on September 16, the rock and folk artists of Whitney headline a December 4 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, their latest recording inspiring The A.V. Club to state, “If early tracks ‘Real Love,’ ‘Blue,’ and ‘Twirl,’ full of warm falsetto melodies and shimmering keyboards, offered a tantalizing taste of Whitney’s new direction, then the rest of Spark is sure to sate your appetite.”

As the Quad City Symphony Orchestra reaches its halfway point in the ensemble's 2022-23 Masterworks season, the accent will be on strings in the December 3 and 4 performances of Ode to Guitar at Davenport's Adler Theatre, the repertoire boasting, among additional offerings, a beautiful Mozart piece, an exciting Michael Abels co-commission, and a special guitar solo by visiting guest artist Mak Grgić.

An eagerly awaited holiday tradition taking place in the college's spacious Centennial Hall, the December 3 and 4 presentations of the yuletide celebration Christmas at Augustana will again boast the collective talents of no fewer than six magnificent Augustana College ensembles: the Augustana Symphony Orchestra, Augustana Brass Ensemble, Ascension Ringers, Augustana Choir, Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble, and Augustana Concert Chorale.

Currently touring in support of her latest album Carving Canyons a recording that, according to Forbes magazine, boasts “her best as well as her most mature work yet” – lauded singer/songwriter and Rock Island native Lissie returns to the Quad Cities for a December 3 headlining concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel.

In addition to his rock, blues, and gospel smashes, Elvis Presley recorded numerous renditions of popular seasonal tunes, and many of those timeless hits will be heard when the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse hosts two December 8 performances of Blue Christmas: An Elvis Rock 'n' Roll Holiday Extravaganza, the return of the King-sized stage entertainment starring touring musician and noted impersonator Robert Shaw.

For those fascinated by German folklore and its connection to the holiday season, a devilish good time is sure to be had in the German American Heritage Center's December 6 presentation of Krampus: The Roots & Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil, the Davenport venue's virtual program in which historian Al Ridenour will recount the origins and resurgence of this fabled figure in Germany, Austria, and throughout the world.

For the first time since 2019, visitors can experience the wonders of a traditional Victorian holiday season in Moline's unique Deere-family homes through 19th Century Christmas, the Butterworth Center's and Deere-Wiman House's eagerly anticipated December 4 event boasting litany of yuletide treats including live music performances, interactive tours, make-and-take activities, refreshments, and, of course, a special visit by Santa Claus.

A co-presentation of the Figge Art Museum, the Project of the Quad Cities, and the New York-based non-profit Visual AIDS, the Davenport venue's December 1 screening of Being & Belonging will acknowledge the 2022 Day With(out) Art in a program of seven short videos, all of them highlighting under-told or even untold stories of HIV and AIDS from the perspective of artists living with HIV across the world.

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