An annual holiday-music tradition returns to the area this month as the professional vocal ensemble the Nova Singers present their latest A Nova Christmas concerts, with exciting and moving arrangements of non-secular, classical, and traditional holiday favorites performed December 15 at Davenport's St. Paul Lutheran Church and December 16 at Galesburg's First Lutheran Church.

Performing thrilling four-part arrangements of such seasonal favorites as “Run, Run Rudolph,” “Ave Maria,” and “I'll Be Home for Christmas,” the do-wop vocal ensemble Under the Streetlamp visits Moline's TaxSlayer Center with their touring production “Hip to the Holidays!”, which features a collection of tunes from the group's live PBS specials and 2012 album Every Day's a Holiday.

Performing from a repertoire that includes such classics as “Uncle John's Band,” “Truckin,” “Alabama Getaway,” and the chart-topping “Touch of Grey,” the rockers of The Schwag return to the Rock Island Brewing Company on December 15, appearing locally in their 26th year as professional Grateful Dead tribute artists.

One of the area's most adored holiday traditions returns to Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 9 and 10, when the professional talents of Ballet Quad Cities perform Tchaikovsky's holiday dance classic The Nutcracker in a presentation boasting new choreography by director (and BQC Artistic Director) Courtney Lyon and live accompaniment courtesy of Orchestra Iowa.