A group of dedicated student dancers will bring their talents to Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre on December 19 and 20 when Monmouth, Illinois' Dancer's Studio presents two performances of The Nutcracker, the timeless holiday ballet by composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Not that the material demanded or invited it, but I think I now know why Ralph Fiennes was never seen out of his clerical robe in Conclave. Because if we ever saw him shirtless, or even got a gander at his bare arms, that entire papal drama would've collapsed through one simple question: “How did a cloistered, late-middle-aged cardinal get so freakin' jacked?!”

Whenever someone assures you that another person you’re both dealing with “understands” the “quid pro quo,” you’d be wise to run away as fast as you can and never look back. But that’s exactly how then-Alderman Daniel Solis assured then-House Speaker Michael Madigan in late June of 2017 that their mark – the developers of a West Loop apartment complex – would eventually be convinced to retain Madigan’s property tax appeals law firm.

The longtime professor and Director of Choral Activities at Davenport's St. Ambrose University, where he received the Faculty Member of the Year Award in 2016, accomplished baritone soloist Dr. Nathan Windt and several gifted friends bring their Schubertiade concert event to Moline's Sound Conservatory on December 15, with classical-music lovers invited to step into the world of Schubert's timeless melodies through this captivating performance.

For 30 years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s unique take on American swing and jazz music has thrilled audiences around the world, and on December 16, the enduring popular ensemble brings unique and spirited “Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party” to Davenport's Adler Theatre, a joyous collection of jazz and seasonal favorites that has become an eagerly anticipated annual event for the whole family.

Chart-topping, multi-platinum-selling alternative rockers who recently started their third decade of professional performance, the musicians of Hinder headline a December 19 concert at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, treating fans to a repertoire that boasts such top-10 Billboard hits as “Lips of an Angel,” “Get Stoned,” “How Long,” and “Use Me.”

A Chicago-based, internationally lauded artist headlines Polyrhythms' final Third Sunday Jazz Series concert for 2024 in the December 15 performance by the Dushun Mosley Trioverse, an energetic event at Davenport's Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities that finds Chicago based percussionist and producer Mosley joined by Kenneth Green on piano and Darius Savage on bass.

An annually beloved holiday-music tradition returns to the area as the professional vocal ensemble the Nova Singers presents its latest pair of A Nova Christmas concerts, with exciting and moving arrangements of favorite carols, traditional melodies, glorious ballads, and fascinating songs from around the world performed on December 13 at Davenport's St. Paul Lutheran Church and December 14 at Galesburg's First Lutheran Church.

With his many musical collaborators over the years including the likes of Wohn Waite, John Mellencamp, Wynonna Judd, Travis Tritt, and the Oak Ridge Boys, gifted percussionist David Northrup hosts the Louie Bellson Drummers Clinic and Pro Jam on December 15, with fellow musicians and music enthusiasts welcome to attend this special event featuring and hosted by the lauded Nashville session and touring drummer.