This story was corrected at 9:05 p.m. Nov. 30, 2006. Whether your tastes run traditional or eclectic, the musical offerings in and around the city this holiday season will have something for you. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra offers the Christmas staple “Messiah” as well as a Pops show of holiday tunes. There’s opera, pop, rock and jazz. The increasingly popular Trans-Siberian Orchestra is back this year in a larger venue, and Pittsburgh favorite B.E. Taylor returns with his annual holiday concert. Peruse the list, and you’ll find professional productions in a variety of genres, from choral to instrumental to shows with high-tech special effects. Enjoy the sounds of the season. Trans-Siberian Orchestra The band and crew of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra rely on eight semi-trailers and seven tour buses, not reindeer and sleighs, to make their Christmas rounds. Rob Kinkel, keyboardist and one of the original members of the band, says they need that power to make their 116 stops through the country. That is done with two bands dividing the country almost equally. “You always hope your act will get this big, but you never really think it will,” he says about the tours that he estimates will play before 850,000 listeners this year. The tour will make its sixth consecutive stop in Pittsburgh on Sunday in a series that has grown from the Benedum Center, Downtown, to the A.J. Palumbo Center, Uptown, to the much bigger Mellon Arena just a few blocks away. The act is centered on a six-piece band, eight strings, eight singers and a narrator as they do “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” in a orchestral-rock setting. The music is mostly holiday related, but the second half of the show features some rock-flavored bits of classical music. And, like the size of their venues, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra show keeps getting bigger, too. “The stage is bigger than ever, and we’re doing stuff with pyro and lighting that we’ve never done before,” Kinkel says. “When I saw it, it just blew me away.” In 2005, the band was the leading holiday tour, according to the Pollstar entertainment agency, while Billboard put the show at the fourth most popular for the year. The popularity and schedule keeps the tour busy, Kinkel says, but the members still are looking to hit the road in a non-holiday setting. They have not been able to perform out the United States yet and think they might accomplish that. He says they are planning to release a “Night Castles” album in late 2007 or early 2008 and follow that with a summer tour in 2008. “It’ll be nice to go on the road with songs we haven’t played before,” he says. Trans-Siberian Orchestra performs at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Mellon Arena. Admission: $37.50 and $43.50.

Details: 412-323-1919. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s “Messiah” Nothing exemplifies two essential qualities of a classic better than “Messiah” by George Frideric Handel. First performed in 1741, it has transcended its own time to all time and is astonishing to experience even for people who have heard it many times. New Mendelssohn Choir artistic director Betsy Burleigh will lead her first Heinz Hall “Messiah” just before Christmas weekend with an impressive roster of vocal soloists and the symphony. Burleigh says she always remembers “Messiah” was called “an entertainment and performed in a theater and is by an opera composer. It has a dramatic quality that is so exciting. He constructs little scenes within each part, very cohesively telling the drama. He’s also careful to create variety in his structure, going from arias to chorus, and with key relationships.” She also notes that Handel was not only a fabulous melodist, but also that his beautiful melodies are so perfectly attuned to the text that they “really bring the words alive.” The vocal quartet includes bass-baritone Sanford Sylvan, who gave a great performance in “Messiah” a decade ago for the Renaissance and Baroque Society, and soprano Lisa Saffer, who was superb as Oscar in Pittsburgh Opera’s production of “A Masked Ball” four seasons ago. Margaret Lattimore will sing the important mezzo-soprano role, and Philippe Castagner will be the tenor. The concerts start at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21 and 8 p.m. Dec. 22 at Heinz Hall, Downtown. Admission: $18-$63. Details: 412-392-4900. B.E. Taylor For 11 years, B.E. Taylor has been spreading the joy of Christmas via concerts that feature a combination of classic carols and his holiday-related music. But Taylor’s shows aren’t star-studded extravaganzas, just a bunch of regular folks who happen to be musicians. “We try to make it like it’s in your living room,” says Taylor, who will perform Monday and Tuesday at Heinz Hall, Downtown. “You’re a part of the show. It’s not us and you, it’s all of together, and we do think that creates a vibe.” Taylor came up with the idea with the help of his longtime musical partner, Rick Witkowski. The show has branched out from its roots at the Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling, W.Va., to include stops in Pittsburgh, Chicago — four shows this year — and Winston-Salem, N.C. Taylor says people flock to the shows because of the music evokes memories of past Christmases. He recalls meeting people who were reluctant to attend the concerts, but then approached him after the shows to thank him for stirring their Yuletide spirit. “That’s why we go onstage; we don’t care if its sold out or not,” he says. “We have to perform like these people have never seen us before, and might never see us again. And I’m still amazed and appreciative how when we go onstage, there’s always a sea of people who are excited to see us.” Tickets for the concerts, which begin at 7:30 p.m. each night, are $29-$49. Details: 412-392-4900, or www.pittsburghsymphony.org . River City Brass Band Denis Colwell and the River City Brass Band are having hundreds of guests over for their Christmas celebrations. The band’s “Christmas Wrapped in Brass” concerts will feature different vocal groups at each of its seven regional concerts. The show at Heinz Hall, Downtown, will feature members from three ensembles while the others will be from the areas where the concerts are presented. Working with such a variety means one thing: Colwell will not have a chance to rehearse all the singers in advance, so he’s relying on preparation by their individual directors. “It’s a little bit scary to lift a baton and hope people on the stage with you know what comes next,” he says with a chuckle. The choirs will present Christmas treats such as two suites titled “The Many Moods of Christmas” by Robert Russell Bennett and “A Christmas Fantasy” by Gordon Langford. The band will perform Leroy Anderson’s classic “A Christmas Festival” and the “Midnight Sleigh Ride” by Serge Prokofiev. Colwell also points out the concerts will feature a new work by Drew Fennell, “Latitude Adjustment,” and a piece on which two new band members will solo. Baritone horn player Tara Davis and French hornist Mariela Bohannon will perform Antonio Vivaldi’s concerto grosso No. 11. The concerts and the featured choirs: 8 p.m. today, Gateway High School, South Hills Chorale; 8 p.m. Friday, Carson Middle School, North Hills Area High School Choir; 8 p.m. Saturday, Palace Theatre, Greensburg, Hempfield Area High School Choir; 3 p.m. Sunday, Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, Johnstown, Cambria County, Richland Area High School Choir; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7, Heinz Hall, Downtown, South Hills Chorale, Upper St. Clair High School Choir, Beaver County Chorus; 3 p.m. Dec. 10, Baldwin High School, Baldwin High School Choir; 8 p.m. Dec. 12, Upper St. Clair High School, Upper St Clair High School Choir. Prices vary. Details: 412-434-7222. Opera Theater of Pittsburgh’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors” Christmas provides the subject for the most performed opera in America — “Amahl and the Night Visitors” — that Opera Theater of Pittsburgh will presents four times this season. Composer Gian-Carlo Menotti created “Amahl” for television, where it premiered on the NBC network in 1951. It is the story of a disabled shepherd boy who is healed through faith when he meets three kings who are on their way to present gifts to a new born boy. Opera Theater artistic director Jonathan Eaton says the reason “Amahl” is so popular is that “it touches our hearts so very much at such a festive time of year. It is a piece which uses music and theater to talk of miracles — and it does not getter better than that.” Butler native Benjamin Smith returns to direct the opera for the third year, while conductor Bernard McDonald returns for his second season leading the opera. The cast includes Connor Doran and Troy Davis alternating in the title role, Patricia Donohue Burns as his mother, and David Dresher, Raymond Blackwell and William Dempsey as the kings. The performances start at 8 p.m. Dec. 14 at Trinity Episcopal Church, Downtown; 8 p.m. Dec. 15 at Christ Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Ford City; and at 8 p.m. Dec. 16 and 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at Heinz Chapel, University of Pittsburgh, Oakland. Tickets are, in Pittsburgh: $20, $15 for students and children; in Ford City: $15, $10 for students and senior citizens. Details: 412-394-3353 for Pittsburgh performances, 724-763-9141 for Ford City. Lisa Ferraro’s ‘Jazz Up Your Holiday’ Singer Lisa Ferraro will highlight the “Jazz Up Your Holiday” benefit sponsored by FamilyLinks this evening at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild on the North Side. FamilyLinks touches more than 85,000 people in Southwestern Pennsylvania in its broad range of community-based services addressing such matters as homelessness and drug an alcohol addiction. The benefit, sponsored by Mellon Financial Corp. and WDUQ-FM (90.5) will open with a wine-and-cheese reception at 7 p.m. The concert is at 8 p.m. Admission is $25. Details: 412-824-0173. Pittsburgh Camerata The Pittsburgh Camerata will present “Tidings of Christmas” in music, poetry and tales. The chamber choir, founded in 1974, is directed by Rebecca Rollett and dedicated to the performance of sacred and secular music and its related arts forms. At this concert, the choir will offer a variety of holiday carols and songs, but also present O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” and Oscar Wilde’s “The Selfish Giant.” Performances are 8 p.m. Saturday, Sixth Presbyterian Church, Downtown; 3 p.m. Sunday, Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church; 8 p.m. Dec. 8, Smithfield United Church, Downtown; 8 p.m. Dec. 9, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Highland Park. Admission is $20, $10 for students. Details: 412-421-5884. Boys of the Lough Christmas can be a fine time for the wearin’ of the green. The Boys of the Lough will be bringing their look at a Celtic Christmas to the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild on the North Side Dec. 12. The purveyors of Celtic music are from Ireland, Scotland and the Shetland Islands, putting together a broad look at the music from that region. Music begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $23 or $28 at the door.

Details: 412-322-0800. Pittsburgh Symphony’s Holiday Pops The Pittsburgh Symphony unfurls an extreme makeover of its Holiday Pops program this season. The program features traditional favorites such as “White Christmas” and “Silent Night” and a sing-a-long, as well as jazz great Dizzy Gillespie’s “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” Dancers from Attack Theater will perform to two versions of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies,” first to music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsy, then to Duke Ellington’s version. Chattanooga (Tenn.) Symphony and Opera music director Robert Bernhardt will lead singers Karin Mushegain and Kevin Glavin, dancers of Attack Theater, the Mendelssohn Choir, Children’s Festival Chorus and the orchestra in seven performances of “Highmark Holiday Pops: The Magic of the Season.” The concerts start at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14, 8 p.m. Dec. 15, 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 16 and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at Heinz Hall, Downtown. Admission is: $19 to $72. Details: 412-392-4900. Chatham Baroque Creative programming makes Chatham Baroque’s “Shining Stars and Sacred Treasures” an especially appealing prospect. Of course, the ensemble draws upon such a rich repertoire that it can present rarely heard masterpieces, such as “A Christmas Story” by Heinrich Schutz, an earlier composer much admired by Johann Sebastian Bach. But the program also includes the even rarer “A Child is Born” by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, one of several great Christmas pieces by the French baroque composer. Violinist Julie Andrijeski, viola da gambist Patricia Halverson and lutenist Scott Pauley will be joined by four members of the Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble: soprano Rosa Lamoreaux, mezzo-soprano Barbara Hollinshead, tenor Ole Hass, and bass-baritone Stephen Combs. The concerts start at 8 p.m. Dec. 8 at Sewickley United Methodist Church, Sewickley; 8 p.m. Dec. 9 at Synod Hall, Oakland, and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at Chatham College, Shadyside. Admission is $18, $16 for senior citizens and $8 for students. Details: 412-394-3353. Renaissance and Baroque Society The sounds of Christmas past will be heard again Saturday when the renaissance band Piffaro offers its holiday program for the Renaissance and Baroque Society. Recorders, shawms, sackbuts, krumhorns, bagpipes, guitars and percussion will provide authentic colors for the musical menu drawn from 15th- and 16th-century England and Spain. “Greensleeves” is the best known tune, but old carols and noels influenced the Victorian musical vision of Christmas and still touch our hearts. The performance starts at 8 pm. Saturday at Synod Hall, Oakland. Admission is $15 to $30, $10 for full-time students. Details: 412-361-2048. Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra

All-Star Choir of Westmoreland County and Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra The All-Star Choir of Westmoreland County and the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will be “Home for the Holidays” Dec. 16 at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. The choir is made up of vocal quartets from each of the 17 high schools in the county and is led by Marc Tourre, choir director at Greater Latrobe High School. In addition to George Frederic Handel’s ever-popular “Hallelujah Chorus,” the choir also will sing “Silent Night” and “Carol of the Bells” unaccompanied. Meanwhile, the orchestra will provide its own holiday cheer with works that include festive brass music by Giovanni Gabrieli and Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” The concert is at 8 p.m. Admission: $10, $18, $25 and $36, with $5 student rush tickets.

Details: 724-837-1850.

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