The Blue Ridge Orchestra will present this year’s annual family holiday concert twice, at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the Colonial Theatre in Canton and at 4 p.m. onn Dec. 9 at the Folk Arts Center in East Asheville.

Music Director Milton Crotts has designed a special program that features selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” and Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”, among others. “Good Tidings of Great Joy, A Christmas Narrative for Orchestra”, will be narrated by Miguel Cooper of the Asheville School, contrasting with Pizzicato Polka by Johann Strauss - a Viennese New Year’s Tradition. Comprised of nearly 75 volunteers, the Blue Ridge Orchestra has been presenting symphony concerts in Western North Carolina since 1999.

www.blueridgeorchestra.org.