Music update

Oh My God it’s only two weeks to Christmas, how did that happen? The snow put a halt to everyone’s gallop, but time to get back into the spirit of things. The Christmas concert from Gloria, Dublin’s gay and lesbian choir (now 15 years old), has proved so popular over the last few years that they’ve moved to a much bigger venue, the soaring heights of St Patrick’s Cathedral. It’s on Thur 16 @8pm, admission is free, donations on the night to the Choir and GCN Forever. www.gloria.ie Also at St Patrick’s, the beautiful and very popular Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols takes place on Sun 19 @3.15pm. Get there early to get a seat.

There’s two lots of Christmas Tidings from the excellent National Chamber Choir, in Monkstown Church of Ireland on Wed 22 (8pm) and the Hugh Lane Gallery on Thur 23 (3pm). David Brophy conducts a nice mix of well-known Christmas favourites and more unusual pieces, including Benjamin Britten's Christ's Nativity, Taverner's Ikon of the Nativity, Poulenc’s Quatre motets pour le temps de Noel and Mel Torme's The Christmas Song. www.nationalchamberchoir.com

Weird & Wonderful

Only how many days to Christmas? Natch the place is coming down with pantos and carols, but why not do something weird and wonderful instead. At Project you can get inside the Head of Hamlet, an installation courtesy of the inimitable George Higgs - part mask, part instrument, part theatre, part machine, resounding with electricity, wood, flesh, language and metal amid snatches of harmony, discord, rhythm and chaos – definitely a bit weird (free, til 19 Dec). Also at Project, a duet for fiddle and film features Caoimhin O Raghallaigh and virtual guests, with hardanger, 5-string viola, singers, dancers, spoken word and stop-motion animation (11 Dec). And Triptik, a collaboration between Ciotóg and Macushla Dance Club, is a dance triple bill featuring 3 internationally renowned choreographers, 5 professional dancers, 2 showband musicians and the ever-sprightly members of the Macushla Club for over 50s (16-19 Dec). www.project.ie

Or how about Christmas with Elvis at the Helix (16 Dec), featuring Mario Kombou who in 2005 was voted The Best Elvis Performer in the World, no less. And in a weird kind of ‘Ghosts of Christmas Past’ effect, Elvis will be joined on stage by Buddy Holly, Marilyn Monroe and Roy Orbison; and weirder still, it’s also playing at the Mick Jagger Centre in Dartford. www.thehelix.ie

Send the kids to the panto and give yourself a saccharine-free treat at Bewleys, where PurpleHeart are back with last year’s hit show The Santaland Diaries. Writer David Sedaris draws on his own experience to chart the wickedly funny journey of Crumpet, starving artist turned Macy’s Santaland elf, with humiliation turning to battle-weary bitterness as Crumpet is forced to contend with cranky parents, bratty children, career elves and drunken lecherous Santas. (til Sat 22). www.bewleys.ie

With all eyes on the North Pole at this time of year, the NCH (Kevin Barry Room) is heading to the other end of the snowy world on Mon 14 Dec for Nearest the South Pole, an event to commemorate the lecture given by explorer Ernest Shackleton in that very spot on that very date 100 years ago. Along with a presentation about the Antarctic and a rare recording of Shackleton’s own voice as he discusses the Nimrod expedition, there’ll be poetry by Derek Mahon, T.S. Elliot and Leland Bardwell among others and a new piece of music-theatre from Michael Holohan, Where a single footprint lasts a thousand years, performed by Donal O’Kelly. Could be quite wonderful. www.nch.ie