Like Saint Nicholas, The Rose Ensemble returns to Houston for a joyful evening of glad tidings and good cheer. From Shaker hymns and Colonial anthems to ballads, country dances and shape-note hymns, this performance highlights the early forms that will later give birth to bluegrass and old-time music.

Journey through the dance halls of Boston to the hills of Appalachia as the singers and instrumentalists explore the harmonies of early American Christmastide music. The ensemble, regularly featured on American Public Media and NPR's Performance Today, reawakens history with vocal music that stirs the emotions, challenges the mind, and lifts the spirit.

A pre-concert talk with ensemble members begins at 4:15 p.m.