(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College has a delightful lineup of holiday shows and performances scheduled through the end of 2022. Tickets are selling fast, so be sure to reserve your seats soon!
Westminster Concert Bell Choir - Friday, December 2 at 7:30pm. The Westminster Concert Bell Choir returns to the Main Stage, performing on the largest range of handbells in the world! Hailed for its virtuosity, the group is conducted by Kathleen Ebling Shaw and composed of undergraduate and graduate students of Westminster Choir College of Rider University. This year celebrates the 44th year of the handbell curriculum at the college, which is the first institution in the world to develop such a program. Tickets: $20.
Yates Musical Theatre for Children Presents: A Christmas Carol  - Saturday, December 3 at 1:00pm. This musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol is the timeless tale of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, who hates Christmas. When visits from three ghosts take him on a journey to the past, present, and future, Scrooge discovers the true meaning of the season. A heartwarming theatre experience which is sure to put everyone in the holiday spirit. Sponsored by RWJBarnabas Health Community Medical Center. Tickets: $15-$12. LIMITED SEATS REMAIN!
OCC Concert Band: A Children’s Holiday - Saturday, December 3 at 7:00pm. A performance for the young and the young at heart! If you grew up with memories of Charlie Brown, The Grinch, The Dreidel Song, or The Night Before Christmas, come out and relive your childhood with these wonderful pieces. Tickets: Adults $20, Seniors $18, Children $10.
Vienna Boys Choir - Thursday, December 8 at 7:00pm. This illustrious group of child musicians has been delighting music lovers across the globe for six centuries with their purity of tone, distinctive charm and popular repertoire. Christmas in Vienna showcases these gifted musicians with voices of unforgettable beauty in an extraordinary program featuring Austrian folk songs, classical masterpieces, popular songs and, of course, holiday favorites. Tickets: $48-$52.
Broadway for the Holidays II - December 9-10 & 16-17 at 7:30pm; December 10-11 & 17-18 at 2:00pm. Back by popular demand! Celebrate the holidays Broadway-style when the OCC Repertory Theatre Company presents this rousing revue featuring more than twenty of your favorite holiday tunes from the Great White Way. With performances that range from silly to somber, this all-encompassing collection of seasonal favorites will be sure to put even the biggest Grinch into the holiday spirit! Tickets: Adults $17, Seniors $14. Some performances already sold out!
Ballet for Young Audiences: The Nutcracker - Saturday, December 10 at 1:00pm & 4:00pm. A Grunin Center holiday tradition! The Ballet for Young Audiences production of The Nutcracker tells the story of Clara, a young girl on the brink of womanhood whose dreams are both childlike and tinged with romance. She is the favorite godchild of Herr Drosselmeyer, a mysterious clockmaker, who helps to transport Clara and her Nutcracker Prince to a special realm. Sponsored by RWJBarnabas Health Community Medical Center. Tickets: Adults $15, Children $12.
Judy Collins – Holidays & Hits - Sunday, December 11 at 7:00pm. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Judy Collins will perform her Holidays & Hits concert, a program of holiday classics, songs from her latest album, Spellbound, and beloved songs culled from her six-decade career. An intimately elegant Christmas experience curated by Judy. Tickets: $47-$57.
Christmas with the Celts - Friday, December 16 at 7:30pm. Christmas With the Celts is a unique blend of modern Christmas songs with the spirit and sounds of Celtic roots. The spirited musical selections will have audiences clapping along with renditions of such popular contemporary Christmas classics as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and many more. The show presents the perfect combination of ancient Irish Carols, contemporary Christmas standards, spontaneous humor and thrilling Irish dancing, giving audiences a most memorable Christmas experience. Tickets: $35-$39. LIMITED SEATS REMAIN!
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit grunincenter.org or call the Grunin Center Box Office at 732-255-0500.
For more than 50 years, Ocean County College, a public two-year community college sponsored by Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, has provided area residents with the opportunity to benefit from higher education. OCC is an innovative academic leader offering affordable, student-centered, high-quality educational experiences that prepare and empower diverse learners to contribute to and succeed in global societies. OCC invests in and fosters academic, economic, and cultural excellence, and ensures financial strength by generating new revenue streams, engaging in national and international university and corporate partnerships, and cultivating a technologically progressive and entrepreneurial spirit.
