Auditorium Theatre

Featuring: Jonathan Butler

Special Guests: Vincent Ingala, Adam Hawley, and Rebecca Jade

Marking the 27th anniversary of the longest-running jazz-based Christmas tour, Dave Koz & Friends bring a fresh sensibility to this rich musical tradition on their 2024 outing, performing timeless Christmas classics, a Chanukah medley and hits from each artist’s respective catalogue. This year’s tour, which will visit 18 cities in less than a month, reunites Koz with long-time musical partner, guitarist/singer Jonathan Butler, and features special guests, saxophonist Vincent Ingala, guitarist Adam Hawley and vocalist Rebecca Jade—all of whom are truly artists on the rise. Don’t miss the show that’s been hailed as “a holiday institution” (The Oakland Press) and “a kick-ass holiday party” (360°Sound).

The Auditorium and WBEZ are proud to present the Moth Mainstage on Friday, December 13.

Not to be confused with StorySlam or GrandSlam events, The Mainstage is the quintessential Moth experience: A two-act show featuring a musical act, where the storytellers and a notable host share true personal stories, without notes. As an audience member, you’ll get to experience live, unedited tapings for future episodes of The Moth Podcast and Moth Radio Hour.

The Moth Mainstage features simple, old-fashioned storytelling by five wildly divergent raconteurs who develop and shape their stories with the Moth’s artistic team. Trust us: This event is not to be missed.

Joss Stone is a Grammy and Brit award-winning artist who released her star-making critically acclaimed debut album, The Soul Sessions, in 2003, aged just 16. Since then, she has released nine studio albums which have sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

Stone has kept the company of musical royalty, performing alongside legendary artists such as James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Sting, Van Morrison and Melissa Etheridge. In addition, she has collaborated with and contributed to albums for many of the world’s finest musicians, including Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, and Damien Marley, and garnered over one billion streams in the US alone.

Stone has been known to experiment with different styles in her own work as well, and her albums feature an exciting patchwork of various influences, creating a catalogue characterised by the fusion of her powerhouse soul vocals with reggae, world music, and hip-hop soundscapes. In 2022, she released her first ever Xmas album, “Merry Christmas, Love”.

Please note, for every ticket purchased to this performance, $1 will be donated to charity.

Back by popular demand, be “blown-away” (WGN Radio) by the uplifting power of faith and hope with familiar favorites, standout soloists, and world-class musicians with a fresh twist in an unforgettable musical extravaganza one can only explain as “indescribable” (Journal of Gospel Music). Breaking the classical music sound barrier since 1993! Marin Alsop, with colleagues Bob Christianson and Gary Anderson reimagined Handel’s Messiah. Too Hot to Handel captures the essential core of Handel’s famous piece and reinterprets it with chords of R&B, jazz, and gospel. The end result is a dynamic and uplifting celebration that must be experienced to be appreciated. “Listeners hooted, whistled and shouted their approval after every number. The ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ was so ecstatically received, it was repeated as an encore.”—The New York Times

After an electric sold-out debut in 2022, Chicago Philharmonic brings back Marvel Studios’ Black Panther in Concert. In 2018, Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” quickly became a global sensation and cultural phenomenon, showing a new dimension of what SuperHero films could be. Rolling Stone raved, “The film lights up the screen with a full-throttle blast of action and fun. That’s to be expected. But what sneaks up and floors you is the film’s racial conscience and profound, astonishing beauty.”

Relive the excitement of T’Challa becoming king and battling Killmonger all while the “one of the country’s finest symphonic orchestras” (Chicago Tribune) performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar® and Grammy®-winning score live to picture.

Joining the orchestra for the concert is Massamba Diop, the revered Senegalese tama drummer who recorded and co-created parts of the movie score with composer Göransson.

Celebrate Complexions 30th anniversary season with their newest work, “For Crying Out Loud”, set to the music of the internationally renowned band U2! Experience an adrenaline-fueled evening with “arabesques that sail to the sky” (Critical Dance) as the dancers take you on a journey that will leave you breathless.

Complexions was founded in 1994 by Master Choreographer Dwight Rhoden and the legendary Desmond Richardson with a singular approach to reinventing dance through a groundbreaking mix of methods, styles and cultures. The company’s foremost innovation is that dance should be about removing boundaries, not reinforcing them. Whether it be the limiting traditions of a single style, period, venue, or culture, Complexions transcends them all, creating an open, continually evolving form of dance that reflects the movement of our world—and all its constituent cultures—as an interrelated whole. Together, Rhoden and Richardson have created in Complexions an institution that embodies its historical moment, a sanctuary where those passionate about dance can celebrate its past while simultaneously building its future.

Celebrate the stunning and visually opulent history, culture, music, and dance of Mexico with one of the most famous dance companies in the world featuring the renowned choreography of Amalia Hernández and be moved by the live music creating a “whirling, kaleidoscopic splendor” (Boston Globe).

Founded in 1952 by dancer and choreographer Amalia Hernández, Ballet Folklórico brings together the music, dance and costume of Mexican folklore from pre-Colombian civilizations through the modern era. With its permanent home at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, one of Mexico City’s most historic venues, the company has developed choreography for 40 ballets, composed of 60 folk dancers and musicians who have performed extensively across Mexico and abroad.

Returning to their Chicago home, the illustrious 65-year strong company brings incredible show-stopping performances. Experience the latest premieres, contemporary favorites, and beloved masterpieces that are both “timely and timeless” (Chicago Tribune).

On March 30, 1958, Alvin Ailey led a group of young African-American modern dancers in a now-fabled performance at the 92nd Street Y in New York City that forever changed the perception of American dance. Mr. Ailey was a pioneer in establishing a multi-racial repertory company that presented important works by both dance masters and emerging choreographers.

Through the remarkable artistry of extraordinary dancers, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues to celebrate the African-American cultural experience and to preserve and enrich the American modern dance tradition. With a repertory of over 235 works by more than 90 choreographers and a permanent home at The Joan Weill Center for Dance in New York City—the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City, the dance capital of the world—the Ailey legacy flourishes, using the universal language of dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present and fearlessly reaching into the future.

Witness boundary-pushing artistry and life-affirming joy from this New York City based contemporary American dance company who is internationally renowned for their energized, athletic ensemble works making it “one of the great movers of modern dance” (The New York Times).

Parsons Dance is a New York City based contemporary American dance company, internationally renowned for its energized, athletic ensemble work. The company performs works selected from the vast and varied repertory of more than 75 works created by David Parsons. The company commissions new dances from established choreographers like Trey McIntyre and Monica Bill Barnes and restages works from the American canon, including works by Robert Battle and Paul Taylor.

Be moved by an electric fusion of classical and contemporary dance showcasing the talents of the local dance company making waves through stunning collaborations by master choreographers and works that fearlessly embracing innovation and provide fresh perspective with “note-by-note precision” (Dance Magazine).

SCDT is firmly rooted on Chicago’s south side. Several of the company’s collaborators have been a part of the fabric of the south side’s vibrant arts community since the early 1960’s. Thus, the SCDT is committed to maintaining its rich heritage through the embodiment of south Chicago influenced movement, music and history.

Explore the fiery fusion of classical pointe technique, Hip-Hop and other dance styles with a Chicago trailblazing company redefining ballet with “cutting-edge style” (The University Daily of Kansa) while being “joyfully inclusive” (Observer).

The only company in the world to perform the signature trademark style, Hiplet Ballerinas of Chicago, Illinois fuse classical pointe technique with African, Latin, Hip-Hop and urban dance styles rooted in communities of color. Promoting inclusivity in both their cast and audience, Hiplet features true-toned tights, modern music, and dancers of all shapes, sizes and colors.

When Sarah Millican was a child, she wouldn’t say boo to a goose. Quiet at school, not many friends, no boobs ‘til she was 16.

Now? NOW she is loud, with good friends, a cracking rack and goose booing all over the shop.

In Late Bloomer, Sarah’s brand-new stand-up show, she explores how one became the other. Plus, lots of stuff about dinners and lady gardens. Come along and join Sarah on her second American tour, laugh at her, with her, beside her.

This event is for ages 16+.