• CLASSICAL MUSIC

TODAY

Portland Conservatory of Music Noonday Concert, holiday sing-along with Robert Russell and Choral Arts members, First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, Portland. Free. 775-3356. 12:15 p.m. 

FRIDAY

“Magic of Christmas,” annual holiday concert with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Magic of Christmas Chorus and guests, Merrill Auditorium, Portland. $25 to $55. 842-0800. 2 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday. 

SATURDAY

Holiday Pops Concert, with Pro Musica Orchestra, VoXX, Rockport Dance Conservatory and Midcoast Community Children’s Chorus; benefit for United Mid-Coast Charities; Camden Hills Regional High School (Strom Auditorium), Rockport. $20 to $35; $8 to $10 for children. 236-2299. 4 p.m. (Rain date is Sunday).

Boston String Quartet’s “Celtic Christmas Extravaganza,” with the Seaglass Chorale and Celtic vocalist Pan Morigan, Saint David’s Church, Kennebunk. $18 in advance; $20 day of show; $18 for seniors and students. stdavidskennebunk.org. 7:30 p.m.

“Holiday Classics: Familiar, Folk and Fugue,” with the Tapestry Singers, Second Congregational Church, Newcastle. $10 in advance; $12 day of show. 644-1174. 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

“Christmas with Renaissance Voices,” 21-voice a cappella ensemble, Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Portland. $12 in advance; $15 day of show. 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. 

SUNDAY

Seacoast Brass Quartet, Christmas favorites with Warren King on organ, Christ Church, Kennebunk. $10; $7 for students and seniors. 985-4494. 2 p.m.

Choral Art Society, “Carols in the Library,” Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Portland. $10, $12; reservations required. 774-1822, Ext. 206. 2:30 p.m. 

TUESDAY

“Christmas with Cornils: A Kotzschmar Christmas,” with organist Ray Cornils, the Parish Ringers, Choral Art Camerata and Aaron Engebreth; Merrill Auditorium, Portland. $22 to $34. porttix.com. 7:30 p.m. 

• THEATER

“The Snow Queen,” family-friendly adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, Portland Stage Company. $30 to $40; $12 for children. portlandstage.org. 7 p.m. today and Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday; noon and 5 p.m. Sunday; 7 p.m. Tuesday to Dec. 22. Through Dec. 24.

David Sedaris’ “Santaland Diaries,” one-man holiday comedy for adults, Portland Stage Company (Studio Theater). Sold out. portlandstage.org. 7:30 p.m. today and Friday; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

“Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!),” musical comedy, Schoolhouse Arts Center, Standish. $14; $12 for students and seniors. 642-3743. 7:30 p.m. today to Saturday.

“The Christmas Bride,” musical based on Charles Dickens story by Snowlion Repertory Company, Lucid Stage, Portland. $17; $15 for students and seniors. lucidstage.com. 8 p.m. today and Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday; 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

“A Christmas Story,” presented by Penobscot Theatre, Bangor Opera House. $20 to $35. 942-3333. 7 p.m. today and Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 7 p.m. Tuesday to Dec. 22. Through Dec. 23.

“Nutcracker Burlesque,” adults-only spin on the classic ballet by Vivid Motion Inc., St. Lawrence Arts Center, Portland. Sold out. vividmotion.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday to Dec. 22. Through Dec. 23.

“The Musical Bah Hum Bug,” “Christmas Carol” musical, Academy of Developing Artists of Maine, Biddeford. $10 in advance; $13 day of show. 502-0217. 7 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; 7 p.m. Dec. 22. Through Dec. 23.

“The X-Mas Files: A Search for Santa,” musical holiday comedy for all ages, Waldo Theater, Waldoboro. $5 to $8. 832-6060. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

“The Wandering Beggar,” celebrates early Eastern European Jewish communities, Acorn Studios, Westbrook. $15; $12 for students and seniors. 854-0065. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” by Studio Theatre of Bath, Chocolate Church Arts Center, Bath. $13 to $15. 442-8455. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

“Miracles on School Street,” all-ages collaboration to celebrate the season, Theater Project, Brunswick. $12. theaterproject.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

“Seussical the Musical,” family-friendly musical based on Dr. Seuss characters, Midcoast Performing Arts Center, Brunswick. $10; $8 for seniors and students. youth-theater.org/index.html. 7 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday.

“Christmas with the Rat Pack,” dinner theater based on iconic Las Vegas act, Anthony’s Dinner Theater, Portland. $39.99, includes five-course dinner. 221-2267. 7 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” Arts in Motion Theater Company production based on classic movie, Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center, Fryeburg. $12; $10 for students and seniors. 935-9232. 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday.

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

Sophocles’ “Antigone,” by Breakwater middle school students, One Longfellow Square, Portland. Free/donation. onelongfellowsquare.com. 6 p.m. (doors at 5:30 p.m.) Sunday. 

• AUDITIONS

“The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” contains strong language, tacky outfits and ’80s nostalgia; casting two men and five women; City Theater, Biddeford. citytheater.org. 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. 

• ART MUSEUMS

OPENINGS/RECEPTIONS

“Port of Portland: The Ship-Shaped History,” a look at Portland’s past via the ships that sailed through the harbors, the city’s shipping and ship-building industries, and more, Maine Maritime Museum, Bath. 443-1316. Opens Saturday. Through Feb. 14. 

CONTINUING

Portland Museum of Art: “Madeleine de Sinety: Photographs,” photos of everyday people and public events over a 40-year period, through Dec. 31; “Gather Up the Fragments: The Andrews Shaker Collection,” Shaker furniture, printed works, visual art, tools, textiles, and small craft, through Feb. 5. portlandmuseum.org

University of New England Art Gallery, Portland: “Faces of War,” photo essay of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan by Jerry Robinov, through Feb. 12. une.edu/artgallery/facesofwar.cfm

Maine Historical Society, Portland: “Having in Paris a Great Success,” French fashion from 1928 to 1936, through Dec. 31; “Dressing Up, Standing Out, Fitting In: Adornment & Identity in Maine,” artifacts reveal the way Mainers dressed from the 18th to 20th centuries, through May 27. mainehistory.org

Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk: “Barry: The Art Exhibition,” Edith Cleaves Barry’s paintings, sculpture and pen-and-ink drawings, through Jan. 9. 985-4802.

Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick: “Along the Yangzi River: Regional Culture of the Bronze Age from Hunan,” 60 bronze vessels and monumental bells cast in southern China between 1300 B.C.E. and 221 B.C.E., through Jan. 8; “Where Hath Fleeting Beauty Fled?”, selections of 19th- and 20th-century art, through Jan. 22; “After Atget: Todd Webb Photographs, New York and Paris,” street photography of Webb, through Jan. 29. bowdoin.edu

Bates College (Olin Arts Center), Lewiston: “Tale Spinning,” narrative art, and “25: Selections from the Permanent Collection,” celebrating the museum’s 25th anniversary, both through Saturday. 786-6158.

Saco Museum: “Let Heaven and Nature Sing: Seventh Annual Festival of Trees,” through Dec. 31. 283-3861.

Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland: Louise Nevelson, sculptures, through Dec. 31; Paul Caponigro, “The Hidden Presence of Places,” black-and-white photographs, through Jan. 15; “Beyond Rugs!”, rug-hooking textile art, through Feb. 5. 596-6457.

Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport: “The Circus Comes to Town,” Bex Bros. Circus, miniature circus figures and more, through Jan. 29. penobscotmarinemuseum.org

Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor: “Twisted Path II: Contemporary American Art Informed by Tradition,” contemporary art show featuring native artists from the Northeast, through May; “Indians and Rusticators,” through December 2012. abbemuseum.org

UMaine Museum of Art, Bangor: Dominic Chavez: “The Global Lens,” photography exhibit; Carlo Pittore, “Studio Life,” paintings; and Abe Ajay, “Constructions,” wall-oriented relief sculptures, all through Dec. 30. umma.umaine.edu

• ART GALLERIES

OPENINGS/RECEPTIONS

“Two Painters,” Katherine Gagnon and Angela Warren, June Fitzpatrick Gallery, Portland. 772-1961. Artist reception, 5 to 7 p.m. today.

“In Nature,” work by Deborah Randall, Andy Rosen and Stephen Burt; Engine, Biddeford. feedtheengine.org. Grand opening, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.

Art Walk, downtown Biddeford. Free. biddefordartwalk.com. 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.

Members’ Invitational, Harlow Gallery, Hallowell. harlowgallery.org. Reception, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday. Through Jan. 14. 

CONTINUING

Maine College of Art (Institute of Contemporary Art), Portland: “A Perpetual Present: 2011 MECA Faculty Selects Exhibition,” through Dec. 23. 699-5029.

University of Southern Maine (Woodbury Campus Center), Portland: “Many Hands: Wabanaki Paths of Learning,” installation, through Friday. usm.maine.edu/gallery

Rose Contemporary, Portland: “Enter Night,” multimedia, through Dec. 31. 780-0700.

Zero Station Art, Design and Framing, Portland: “New and Recent Photographs” by Thomas Birtwistle, Cole Caswell and Bryan Graf, through Feb. 1. zerostation.com

running with scissors, Portland: “Inside Stories,” oil paintings by Adria Moynihan, through Dec. 24. 831-5682

Coleman Burke Gallery at Port City Music Hall, Portland: “Bad Seed #3,” work by JT Gibson. colemanburke.com. Through Jan. 25.

Gleason Fine Art, Portland: “Eye Catchers,” artwork to please the eye and tickle the senses, through Jan. 30. 699-5599.

Harmons & Bartons Gallery, Portland: “Bringing Art Home for the Holidays,” four craft artists in fiber, metal, wood and clay, through Dec. 31. 774-5948

Addison Woolley Gallery, Portland: Diane Hudson’s “My Chicago” and Jane Banquer’s “Vanishing Acts,” through Dec. 22. 450-8499.

Green Hand Bookshop, Portland: “In the Forest By the Sea,” paintings by Jada Fitch, through Jan. 30. 450-6695.

June Fitzpatrick Gallery at MECA, Portland: “Drawing the Line #11,” drawings large and small, through Dec. 23. 699-5083.

Fore Street Gallery, Portland: “New Work,” paintings by Paul Black, through Jan. 7. 874-8084.

Greenhut Galleries, Portland: “Peace 2011,” paintings, drawings and sculptures, through Dec. 31. 772-2693.

Portland Public Library (Lewis Gallery): “Port of Portland: A Ship-Shaped History,” presented by Maine Maritime Museum, through Jan. 3. maine.aiga.org

Thomas Memorial Library, Cape Elizabeth: “On the Way Home,” acrylic landscape and figure paintings by Patricia L. Ritzo, through Dec. 30. 799-1720.

Falmouth Memorial Library: Neil Wyrick, “Colors of Maine,” paintings, through Dec. 30. 781-2351.

The Royal Bean, Yarmouth: Artisans collective mixed-media show and sale, through Jan. 31. 846-7967.

317 Main Street Community Music Center, Yarmouth: Michele A. Caron, paintings in gouache, egg tempera and sign lettering enamels, through Jan. 13. 317mainst.org

Thos. Moser Showroom, Freeport: “Celebrate Women Artists in Maine,” group show of 20 artists, through Dec. 31. 865-4519.

Art Guild Gallery, Freeport: 15 local artists show and sell paintings, photos, glass and pottery, through Dec. 31. 865-3103.

Gallery Framing, Brunswick: “Maine 10,” holiday art show, through Dec. 30. 721-0766.

Coleman Burke Gallery (Fort Andross), Brunswick: “Multiples,” group exhibition with Mildred Johnson, George Mason and Isabelle Pelissier, through Feb. 1. colemanburke.com

Markings Gallery, Bath: Invitational ornament show, ornaments in glass, clay, wood, fiber and metals, through Dec. 31. markingsgallery.com

Gold/Smith Gallery, Boothbay Harbor: “Gift Wrapped,” mixed-media collages by Noriko Sakanishi, through Dec. 24. 633-6252.

University of New England Campus Center, Biddeford: Charles Thompson, en plein air paintings celebrating nature, Jan. 15. une.edu

York Public Library: “Courting the Muse,” watercolors by Ken Fellows, through Dec. 30. 363-2818.

Snug Harbor Farm, Kennebunk: Second annual holiday art show, through Dec. 31. snugharborfarm.com

Kennebunk Free Library: YES Art Works Group Exhibit, through Dec. 31. 985-2173.

Red Door Pottery Studio, Kittery: “Focus on India,” photos by Lawrence Elbroch, through Feb. 1. 439-5671.

The Bakery, Damariscotta: Jean Kigel: “Kitchen Americana,” paintings, through Dec. 31. 563-2867.

Fryeburg Academy (Palmina F. and Stephen S. Pace Galleries of Art): “The Creche Collection,” unique creches from around the world, through Dec. 30; “John Hultberg and Monhegan Island: The Man, The Place and his Dreams,” through Jan. 21. fryeburgacademy.org

Monkitree, Gardiner: “Beast in Show,” benefit for area animal organizations by artists Susan Mathias and Nancy McGinnis, through Jan. 16. 512-4679.

Aarhus Gallery, Belfast: “Holiday Extravaganza,” more than 60 Maine artists, craftsmen, poets and musicians, through Dec. 24. 338-0001.

Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport: “Maine Wood 2012,” biennial juried exhibition of outstanding Maine woodworkers, through Feb. 3. woodschool.org

Caldbeck Gallery, Rockland: Annual holiday exhibition, work by gallery artists and invited guest artists, through Dec. 23. 594-5935.

Archipelago, Rockland: “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” diverse works of four Maine artists, through March 16. 596-0701.

Carver Hill Gallery, Rockland: Diane Bowie Zaitlin, encaustic paintings, through Dec. 31. carverhillgallery.com

Art Space Gallery, Rockland: “A Tradition of Affordable Art,” winter show, through Dec. 31. artspacemaine.com

Courthouse Gallery Fine Art, Ellsworth: “Small Works 2011,” multi-artist show, through Dec. 23. 667-6611.

L/A Arts Gallery 5, Lewiston: “Precious Things,” multiple artists, through Jan. 7. 576-4805.