Arts & Entertainment
Sounds of the season
Local holiday concert offerings wildly eclectic

The Kinsey Sicks, a drag singing ensemble, will be at the D.C. JCC in December. (Photo courtesy of the Kinsey Sicks)
The Duke Ellington School of Arts (3500 R St., N.W.) will be performing “Dreamgirls” in December. Evening performances will be at 7:30 from Dec. 2 through Dec. 18. There will be afternoon performances at 2 p.m. on Dec. 4, 11 and 18. A special gala night will be held Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. featuring original Dreamgirl, Jennifer Holliday. Tickets for the evening and afternoon shows are $25, $30 or $35 and can be purchased by calling 202-337-4825 or visiting ww.ellingtonschool.org. Tickets for the gala can be purchased by emailing [email protected] or by calling 202-333-2555, ext. 2101.
The Kinsey Sicks, a “dragapella beautyshop quartet,” will be performing “Oy Vey in a Manger” from Dec. 18 to Jan. 2 at Theater J in the Washington DCJCC’s Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater (1529 16th St., N.W.). Regular performances will be on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 and 7:30 p.m. There will be two preview shows, one on Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. and the other on Dec. 19 at 3 p.m. There will also be a special matinee before the official opening on Nov. 26 at 2 p.m. Other performances will be on Dec. 21 and 28 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $35 to $60 and can be purchased by calling 800-494-TIXS or visiting boxofficetickets.com.
The Washington National Cathedral has several holiday events happening this season. On Nov. 22, its annual “O Come Let Us Adore Him” exhibit of nativity scenes opens to the public. It will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Cathedral’s choirs will also be performing Handel’s “Messiah” on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $85. The Cathedrals Joy of Christmas concert will be Dec. 11 and 12 at 4 p.m. featuring a grand procession and several well-known favorites from holiday standards. Tickets range from $25 to $85. A Christmas pageant will be held on Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. That same day, the Cathedral will be hosting carols by candlelight at 6 p.m. as well as on Dec. 19 at 4 p.m. Visit nationalcathedral.org to purchase tickets for any event.
Strathmore has many holiday events coming up this season. On Nov. 27, at the Music Center at Strathmore, the Mormon Orchestra and Chorus of Washington will be performing their holiday concert, “O Come Let Us Adore Him.” A sold out Hanukkah tea will be served at the Mansion at Strathmore on Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. Dec. 1 brings the King’s Singers to the Music Center at 8 p.m. with a holiday program. The 2010 Kenny G Holiday Show is on Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center. A child-friendly “Mrs. Claus Tea” will be served on Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the Mansion. “A Smooth Jazz Christmas” will be at the Music Center on Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. with Dave Koz and Friends. For tickets information for all events, visit strathmore.org.
The Hylton Performing Arts Center has two holiday events coming up. First up is “A Rockapella Holiday” on Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. in Merchant Hall. Rockapella is a five-man a cappella group best known for its “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” theme song. This program features classics such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” as well as popular new pieces like “Little Mary Snowflake” and a funky new version of “The Dreidel Song.” On Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. in Merchant Hall, the Center presents “Christmas in Ireland: An Nollaig in Eirinn” featuring the band, Danu. Tickets for both events are $28, $36 or $44 and can be purchased by visiting hyltoncenter.org.
Many different venues will be hosting a production of “The Nutcracker.” The Kennedy Center Opera House will hosts the Joffrey Ballet on Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. The Warner Theatre hosts the Washington Ballet performing the family classic on Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. The Music Center at Strathmore has another production by the Moscow Ballet on Dec. 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m. The Manassas Ballet Theater will be performing the show on Dec. 11 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center. The Gay Men’s Chorus will perform its own rendition of the Nutcracker, “Men in Tights: A Pink Nutcracker” at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University on Dec. 17 at 8 p.m., Dec. 18 at 3 and 8 p.m. and Dec. 19 at 3 p.m.
The Metropolitan Community Church of Washington will have its Christmas concert on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. The Church will have two Christmas Eve worship services, one at 8 p.m. and the other at 11 p.m.
D.C.’s Different Drummers will be marching in Fredericksburg, Va., holiday parade on Dec. 4 at noon. They will also have a holiday concert on Dec. 12 from 3 to 5 p.m. A location for the concert has not been announced yet.
Books
A boy-meets-boy, family-mess story with heat
New book offers a stunning, satisfying love story

‘When the Harvest Comes’
By Denne Michele Norris
c.2025, Random House
$28/304 pages
Happy is the bride the sun shines on.
Of all the clichés that exist about weddings, that’s the one that seems to make you smile the most. Just invoking good weather and bright sunshine feels like a cosmic blessing on the newlyweds and their future. It’s a happy omen for bride and groom or, as in the new book “When the Harvest Comes” by Denne Michele Norris, for groom and groom.

Davis Freeman never thought he could love or be loved like this.
He was wildly, wholeheartedly, mind-and-soul smitten with Everett Caldwell, and life was everything that Davis ever wanted. He was a successful symphony musician in New York. They had an apartment they enjoyed and friends they cherished. Now it was their wedding day, a day Davis had planned with the man he adored, the details almost down to the stitches in their attire. He’d even purchased a gorgeous wedding gown that he’d never risk wearing.
He knew that Everett’s family loved him a lot, but Davis didn’t dare tickle the fates with a white dress on their big day. Everett’s dad, just like Davis’s own father, had considerable reservations about his son marrying another man – although Everett’s father seemed to have come to terms with his son’s bisexuality. Davis’s father, whom Davis called the Reverend, never would. Years ago, father and son had a falling-out that destroyed any chance of peace between Davis and his dad; in fact, the door slammed shut to any reconciliation.
But Davis tried not to think about that. Not on his wedding day. Not, unbeknownst to him, as the Reverend was rushing toward the wedding venue, uninvited but not unrepentant. Not when there was an accident and the Reverend was killed, miles away and during the nuptials.
Davis didn’t know that, of course, as he was marrying the love of his life. Neither did Everett, who had familial problems of his own, including homophobic family members who tried (but failed) to pretend otherwise.
Happy is the groom the sun shines on. But when the storm comes, it can be impossible to remain sunny.
What can be said about “When the Harvest Comes?” It’s a romance with a bit of ghost-pepper-like heat that’s not there for the mere sake of titillation. It’s filled with drama, intrigue, hate, characters you want to just slap, and some in bad need of a hug.
In short, this book is quite stunning.
Author Denne Michele Norris offers a love story that’s everything you want in this genre, including partners you genuinely want to get to know, in situations that are real. This is done by putting readers inside the characters’ minds, letting Davis and Everett themselves explain why they acted as they did, mistakes and all. Don’t be surprised if you have to read the last few pages twice to best enjoy how things end. You won’t be sorry.
If you want a complicated, boy-meets-boy, family-mess kind of book with occasional heat, “When the Harvest Comes” is your book. Truly, this novel shines.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

The Victory Fund held its National Champagne Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday, April 27. Speakers included Tim Gunn, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.), Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

















Music & Concerts
Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’
Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co.
Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.
For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.
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