• CLASSICAL MUSIC

FRIDAY

“Magic of Christmas,” annual holiday concert with the Portland Symphony Orchestra and guests, Merrill Auditorium, Portland. $25 (Friday-night preview); $25-$55 all other shows. 842-0800.

7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday.

Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Bowdoin College (Studzinski Recital Hall), Brunswick. Free. 798-4141. 7:30 p.m.

The Bagaduce Chorale, holiday concert, First Congregational Church, Blue Hill. www.bagaducechorale.org. $15. 7:30 p.m. Friday; 3 p.m. Saturday.

SATURDAY

Holiday Choral Festival with the University of Southern Maine Chamber Singers, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Portland. Free. 4 p.m.

SUNDAY

Pineland Suzuki School Concert, classical and folk music with student performers, South Parish Congregational Church, Augusta. Donation. 622-0552. 3 p.m.

Concerts at Jewett with the Mount View Chamber Singers: “Carols in the Round,” University of Maine (Jewett Hall), Augusta. $10; $5 for students; free for ages 12 and younger. 621-3551. 2 p.m.

“Christmas with Renaissance Voices,” a capella choir, Sanford-Springvale Museum, Springvale. $12 in advance; $15 at door; $5 students. 342-2797. 3 p.m.

MONDAY

Messiah Sing-along with the Choral Art Society; benefits Project FEED, St. Patrick’s Church, Portland. $5; free for students; attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items and/or donations. 828-0043. 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

“Nowell Sing We” by early music ensemble St. Mary Schola, Bates College (Olin Arts Center), Lewiston. $5. 786-6163. 7:30 p.m.

• DANCE

“The Nutcracker,” presented by Robinson Ballet, The Grand, Ellsworth. www.grandonline.org. 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

• THEATER

“Sesame Street Live: 1-2-3 Imagine! With Elmo and Friends,” touring musical based on children’s show, Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland. $10-$50. (800) 745-3000; www.theciviccenter.com. 7 p.m. today; 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday; 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Directing Class Projects, student-directed plays from the FUSION Theatre Company, Bates College (Schaeffer Theatre), Lewiston. Free. www.bates.edu. 7:30 p.m. today.

“Annie,” family-friendly musical, Waldo Theater, Waldoboro. www.thewaldo.org. 7 p.m. today and Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday. Through Dec. 19.

“The Santaland Diaries,” one-man comedy for mature audiences, Portland Stage Company. All shows sold out. 774-0465. 2 and 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tuesday and Wednesday; 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

“Forest City Times,” two plays — “The Weeping City” and “Radio Calls” — look at relations between Portland youth and police. Portland Public Library. Free; reservations recommended. 874-8681. 6:30 p.m. today.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” adaptation of the classic film by Studio Theatre of Bath, Chocolate Church Arts Center, Bath. $15. 442-8455. 7:30 p.m. today to Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

“The Christmas Carol,” adaptation of Charles Dickens’ story by Sanford Maine Stage Theatre, Nasson Community Center (Little Theatre), Springvale. $12; $8 for seniors and students. www.sanfordmainestage.com. 7:30 p.m. today to Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday.

“The World of Sholom Aleichem,” collection of three short plays depicting life in Eastern Europe Jewish communities in the early part of the 20th century, Acorn Studios, Westbrook. $10; $8 for students and seniors. www.acorn-productions.org. 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday; 5 p.m. Sunday. Through Dec. 19.

“A Christmas Carol,” annual presentation of Dickens’ classic, Portland Stage Company. 774-0465; portlandstage.org. $25 to $39; $12 for children under 12. 7 p.m. today and Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday; noon and 5 p.m. Sunday. Through Dec. 24.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” holiday play based on classic film, Old Port Playhouse, Portland. $15-$22. 7 p.m. today; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Through Dec. 19.

“Plaid Tidings,” holiday version of “Forever Plaid,” Bangor Opera House. 942-3333. 7 p.m. today and Wednesday; 8 p.m. Friday; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Through Dec. 23.

“Christmas Extravaganza,” Christmas drama skits with music, First Baptist Church, Portland. Free. 773-3123. 7 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday; 6 p.m. Sunday.

“Miracle on 34th Street,” classic holiday story about a department-store Santa, Schoolhouse Arts Center, Sebago Lake. $14; $12 for students and seniors. www.schoolhousearts.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Through Dec. 19.

“The Butterfingers Angel, Mary and Joseph, Herod the Nut, and the Slaughter of 12 Hit Carols in a Pear Tree,” irreverent nativity story presented by the Monmouth Community Players, Cumston Hall, Monmouth. $10. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

“Santa’s Reindeer Revue,” children’s play, Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine, Portland. $8. 4 p.m. Friday to Sunday; photos with Santa before the show (2:30 to 3:30 p.m.); reservations recommended. Through Dec. 19.

“A Christmas Carol,” musical version of Dickens’ story, City Theater, Biddeford. $15. www.citytheater.org. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Through Dec. 19.

“A Child’s Christmas in Wales” and “A Christmas Memory,” readers’ theater performances by Timepiece for ages 8 and older, St. Luke’s Cathedral, Portland. $10; seating is limited. 772-5434. 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

“The Gift of the Magi,” original musical set in 1940s Maine, Old Port Playhouse, Portland. $15-$22. 773-0333. 2 p.m. Saturday; 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Through Dec. 23.

“The Velveteen Rabbit,” holiday play based on classic children’s book, Bangor Opera House. 942-3333. Noon Saturday and Sunday; 7 p.m. Tuesday. Through Dec. 20.

“Pageant of the Nativity,” non-denominational re-creation of the nativity story, First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, Portland. Free. 773-5747. 4:45 p.m. Sunday.

“Snow-Bound,” dramatic reading of John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem by actor Michael Maglaras, St. Lawrence Arts Center, Portland. $15. www.stlawrencearts.org. 3 p.m. Sunday.

“A Very Ida Christmas,” one-woman comedy with Maine humorist Susan Poulin, Old Port Playhouse, Portland. $20. 773-0333. 7 p.m. Sunday.

Bold Face Play Reading Series with Harbor Light Stage, Kittery Art Association, Kittery. $10. “The Ragpicker’s Dream,” 7:30 p.m. Monday.

“December Lights,” holiday readings presented by the Center Stage Players, People Plus, Brunswick. $5. 729-8584. 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Studio Theatre of Bath auditions for “Almost, Maine,” Chocolate Church Arts Center, Bath. studiotheatreofbath.com. 7 p.m. Tuesday.

“A Celtic Christmas,” holiday show by American Irish Repertory Theatre and Castlebay Celtic music duo, Lucid Stage, Portland. $12-$22. www.airetheater.com. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Through Dec. 19.

• MUSEUMS

CONTINUING

“John Haberle: Master of Illusion,” trompe l’oeil art, Portland Museum of Art. 775-6148. Through Sunday.

“Lalla Essaydi: Les Femmes du Maroc,” large-scale photographs adapted from Eugene Delacroix’s “Les Femmes d’Algiers,” Bates College (Museum of Art), Lewiston. www.bates.edu. Through Dec. 17.

“Wally Reinhardt: Collaborations with Ovid,” paintings interpreting Ovid’s “Metamorphoses,” Bates College (Museum of Art), Lewiston. www.bates.edu. Through Dec. 17.

“The Wyeths’ Wyeths,” paintings, Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland. www.farnsworthmuseum.org. Through Dec. 21.

Fall exhibit, works by Todd Watts and Ilya Askinazi and from the museum’s collection, University of Maine (Museum of Art), Bangor. 561-3350. Through Dec. 30.

“Envisioning the World: The First Printed Maps, 1472-1700,” University of Southern Maine (Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education), Portland. 780-4850. Through Dec. 30.

“The Old Port at Night,” photos by Melanie Bennett; plus historical photography and poetry exhibit, “Look Twice: The Waponahki in Image and Verse,” University of Southern Maine (Glickman Family Library), Portland. 780-4270. Through Dec. 30.

“False Documents and Other Illusions,” trompe l’oeil art, Portland Museum of Art. www.portlandmuseum.org. Through Jan. 2.

Fall faculty exhibit, recent work by Bevin Engman, Gary Green, Maggie Libby, Harriett Matthews, Abbott Meader, Nancy Meader, Garry Mitchell and Scott Reed, Colby College (Museum of Art), Waterville. www.colby.edu. Through Jan. 2.

“The Search for Beauty: Whistler and His Time,” drawings and paintings, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville. 859-5600. Through Jan. 2.

“The Art of December: Original Holiday Cards by Maine Artists from the Mildred Burrage Collection,” Maine Historical Society, Portland. www.mainehistory.org. Through Jan. 3.

“Sit Down! Chairs from Six Centuries,” chair collection of American and European seating furniture from circa 1500 to the present, Bowdoin College (Museum of Art), Brunswick. 725-3275. Through Jan. 16.

“Emily Schiffer: Cheyenne River,” photographs, Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland. www.farnsworthmuseum.org. Through Jan. 31.

“Cross Currents: Visual Art Distilled from the Maritime World,” Maine Maritime Museum, Bath. 443-1316. Through Feb. 6.

“Currents 6,” multi-media work by Gina Siepel, Colby College (Museum of Art), Waterville. www.colby.edu. Through Feb. 13.

“Aunt Lu: The Story of Princess Watahwaso,” photographs and objects, Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor. www.abbemuseum.org. Through April 2.

“Little Elegies: The Art of Nineteenth-Century Mourning,” paintings, texts, and objects created to assuage grief and memorialize the dead, Colby College (Museum of Art), Waterville. www.colby.edu. Through April 3.

“Learning is an Ornament: The History of Kennebunk’s Schools,” replica installations, historic images and more, Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk. www.brickstoremuseum.org. Through summer 2011.

• ART GALLERIES

OPENINGS/RECEPTIONS

Student Exhibition 2010, video and digital art, painting, drawing, installation and performance art, University of Maine (Art Gallery), Farmington. Today to Sunday.

Jennifer Wadsworth, oil paintings, SugarWood Gallery, Farmington. www.sugarwoodgallery.com. Today to Dec. 31.

“Katrina Chronicles, Vol. 1 and 2,” work by Peter Precourt, University of Maine (Charles Danforth Gallery), Augusta. www.uma.edu/danforth. Today to Jan. 21.

Linden O’Ryan and John Cardano, poem cards and various media, Southwest Harbor Public Library. www.swhplibrary.org. Today to Dec. 31.

“Diagonal Knitting: A Different Slant,” sculptural work and clothing by Katharine Cobey, Maine Fiberarts, Topsham. 721-0678. Today to Feb. 25.

“Drawing Show,” group exhibit, Caldbeck Gallery, Rockland. Today to Jan. 28.

“Photo a GoGo,” photograph show and auction, Bakery Photographic Collective, Westbrook. www.bakeryphoto.com. Auction preview today; auction and music, 6 to 8 p.m. Friday.

“Highlights from the Photography Collection of Tim Whelan,” Maine Media Gallery (Tim Whelan Photographic Books and Gallery), Rockport. www.mainemedia.edu. Friday to Dec. 31.

Saturday School exhibit, work in various media created by high school students, Maine College of Art, Portland. www.meca.edu. 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Holiday member exhibit, Kittery Art Association, Kittery. 451-8384. Saturday to Dec. 19.

CONTINUING

Senior ceramic exhibition, Maine College of Art (Free Street Gallery), Portland. www.meca.edu. Through Friday.

Juried student exhibition, University of Southern Maine (Art Gallery), Gorham. 780-5008. Through Friday.

Clothesline Art Show, River Tree Arts, Kennebunk. www.rivertreearts.org. Through Saturday.

“Making a Greene,” paintings and other work by Jeremy and Sabrina Greene, Three Fish Gallery, Portland. www.makingagreene.wordpress.com. Through Saturday.

“8 x 10 x 80,” Harlow Gallery, Hallowell. 622-3813. Through Sunday.

Faculty exhibit, work by Sascha Braunig, Corliss Chastain and Bethany Haeseler, University of New England (Campus Center), Biddeford. www.une.edu. Through Tuesday.

Hugh Verrier, paper-sculpted birds, Birds in Flight Gallery, Eustis. www.birds-in-flight.com. Through Wednesday.

“Maine’s Woods: Observations by Bert Lincoln Call and Henry David Thoreau,” photos by Call with text by Thoreau, University of Maine (Art Gallery), Machias. 255-1279. Through Dec. 17.

“Pots and Vessels,” work by Warren MacKenzie, Sequoia Miller, Paul Heroux and Ron King, June Fitzpatrick Gallery at MECA, Portland. www.junefitzpatrickgallery.com. Through Dec. 18.

“Elizabeth Jabar: A Quiet Habitation,” prints, Susan Maasch Fine Art, Portland. www.susanmaaschfineart.com. Through Dec. 18.

“Whiteout,” L/A Arts Gallery 5, Lewiston. 782-7228. Through Dec. 18.

“Smitten: Hands and Their Coverings,” Latvian mittens by Angela Kimberk and mittens and hand coverings by other area textile artists plus photographs, prints, paintings and sculptures, Merrymeeting Arts Center, Bowdoinham. www.merrymeetingartscenter.org. Through Dec. 18.

“Something from Nothing,” papier mache sculptures by Nanci Kahn, June Fitzpatrick Gallery, Portland. www.junefitzpatrickgallery.com. Through Dec. 18.

“Perspectives,” pottery and oil paintings by Pamela Williamson, Jeanne O’Toole Hayman and Rick Boyd, Richard Boyd Gallery, Peaks Island. www.richardboydpottery.com. Through Dec. 19.

Colin Page, paintings, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay. 633-4333. Through Dec. 19.

“The Architecture of Environmental Landscapes, Within and Without,” regional artists exploring environmental themes, University of New England (Art Gallery), Portland. Through Dec. 19.

“Small Works,” paintings and sculpture, Courthouse Gallery Fine Art, Ellsworth. 667-6611. Through Dec. 23.

Elizabeth Cashin McMillen, Aucocisco Galleries, Portland. www.aucocisco.com. Through Dec. 23.

“Unique and Affordable,” holiday show, Art Space Gallery, Rockland. www.artspacemaine.com. Through Dec. 24.

“India Sojourn and a Glimpse of Venice,” photos by Lawrence Elbroch. Through Dec. 24.

“Mesa to Sedona to Jerome,” paintings by Francine Schrock, Sandpiper Jewelry Gallery, South Portland. 767-8090. Through Dec. 31.

“Main Streets of Waldo County,” photography, Belfast Free Library. www.belfast.lib.me.us. Through Dec. 31.

“Transport,” large-format photos of classic cars by Robert Moran, running with scissors, Portland. 479-5679. Through Dec. 31.

Jennifer Morrison, nature photography, Viles Arboretum, Augusta. www.vilesarboretum.org. Through Dec. 31.

Berri Kramer, photographs, The Frame Works, Kennebunk. theframeworks.net. Through Dec. 31.

“Artful Ornaments,” metal, clay, mixed media and more, Markings Gallery, Bath. Through Dec. 31.

“Biennial Portland Show,” invitational exhibit, Greenhut Galleries, Portland. 772-2693. Through Dec. 31.

“Italy Inside/Out,” paintings by Brita Holmquist, Daunis Fine Jewelry, Portland. Through Dec. 31.

Holiday show, Ember Grove Gallery, Portland. EmberGrove.com. Through Dec. 31.

“Addison Woolley and Friends,” group show, Addison Woolley Gallery, Portland. 450-8499. Through Dec. 31.

Nathan Macomber, glass works, Gallery 302, Bridgton. www.gallery302.org. Through Dec. 31.

“Art Noveau,” new works by Vox Photography artists, Portland Public Library (Lewis Gallery). www.voxphotographs.com. Through Dec. 31.

“A Matter of Perception: An Exhibition by Artists with Disabilities,” VSA arts of Maine Gallery, Augusta. www.vsartsmaine.org. Through Dec. 31.

“Anything Goes,” paintings, sculpture and mixed media, River Arts, Damariscotta. 563-1507. Through Dec. 31.

Winter invitational exhibit, The Gallery at Eleven Pleasant St., Brunswick. www.vsartsmaine.org. Through Dec. 31.

“And Sew it Seams,” embroideries, art quilts and large-scale woven sculpture, Spindleworks, Brunswick. www.spindleworks.org. Through Dec. 31.

“New Work,” paintings by Paul Black, Fore Street Gallery, Portland. Through Jan. 2.

“The Way We Work,” group show, 317 Main Street, Yarmouth. www.317mainst.org. Through Jan. 7.

Faculty exhibition, Maine College of Art (Institute of Contemporary Art), Portland. www.meca.edu. Through Jan. 9.

Jason Slaughter, paintings, Waterfall Arts, Belfast. www.waterfallarts.org. Through Jan. 20.

“Winter Works,” paintings and sculpture by Tom Curry, Ralf Feyl and others, plus “Eye Catchers,” small works, Gleason Fine Art, Portland. www.gleasonfineart.com. Through Jan. 29.

“Islands and Sirens,” work by Tom Curry and Brian Mark, Thos. Moser Showroom, Freeport. www.thosmoser.com. Through Jan. 31.

“Contemporary Maine Wood Sculpture,” Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport. www.woodschool.org. Through Feb. 4.