Margaret Bonds and Langston Hughes tell the Christmas story through the person of Balthazar, the Black member of the Three Kings. Akron’s Julia Perry, who began her career in Europe, sets the mystical writings of Catherine of Siena, a beloved figure in the history of Italian literature. Respighi remakes toe-tapping music of the Italian Renaissance into modern miniatures with cinematic brilliance. And Duke Ellington takes five of the best known dances from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, and dresses them up in top hat and tails. All four works are vibrant updates, “handshakes across the centuries.”

Conducted by Chris Wilkins

With soprano soloist Louise Toppin, baritone Frank Ward, tenor Tyrese Byrd, and mezzo-soprano Jaime Sharp