MANCHESTER — The soaring strains of Tchaikovsky and Grieg along with Broadway tunes, tangos and waltzes will fill Manchester Village on Saturday, Dec. 31 when the Manchester Music Festival presents two New Year’s Eve concerts at First Congregational Church on 7A in Manchester Village, across from the Equinox Hotel.
“No one’s New Year’s Eve celebration will be complete without attending these lively, festive concerts,” said Ari Rudiakov, artistic director of the Manchester Music Festival. “Nine of the best string players on the East Coast will deliver the first fond memories for you to carry into 2012.”
The first performance, designed for families with children, will be at 4 p.m. Spicing up the holiday program at the family concert will be a special appearance by the Waltz King himself, Johann Strauss II, played by local thespian Peter Langstaff.
“The 4 p.m. Family Concert will also be an opportunity to hear our young musicians, the Manchester Youth Ensemble, performing along with the professionals,” Rudiakov said.
The second concert will start at 6 p.m. and will feature an expanded 80-minute program of works to appeal to core and casual classics fans alike with the likes of Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, and Leroy Anderson included in the mix of Baroque pieces, Argentine tangos, Strauss waltzes, and Broadway tunes.
Both concerts feature the Manchester Festival Strings, a nine-member ensemble lead by concertmaster Heather Braun, a violinist and former Manchester Music Festival Young Artist who now plays with the Arneis Quartet, an acclaimed Boston-based ensemble.
Tickets for the 4 p.m. concerts are $10, children under 18 free. Admission for the 6 p.m. concert is $27, $10 for students, available at the door or online at www.mmfvt.org.
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