Not a hit upon release, It's a Wonderful Life gained its popularity mainly due to a clerical error at the copyright office that made it public domain and led to television stations being able to broadcast it for free during the holiday season, which they did repeatedly thus deepening the film's association with Christmas for generations. A variation on the A Christmas Carol theme, the Christmastime glimpse into the future here belongs to George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) who has so many problems he is considering ending it all. As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashbacks. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he rescues his guardian angel, Clarence (Henry Travers), who then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn't been for all his good deeds over the years. GET TICKETS!  

Faculty violinist Patrick Yim and guests perform recently discovered string quintets by French composer George Onslow. Publisher Ignace Pleyel called Onslow "our French Beethoven." Patrick Yim, violin Natalie Lin Douglas, violin Eric Wong, viola Jamie Clark, cello Matthew Baker, bass    Generous support for this event is provided by the Department of Music, the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts (College of Arts and Letters), and the Nanovic Institute for European Studies.   This event is free and not ticketed.  Originally published at music.nd.edu.

Experience the timeless beauty of Copland's iconic masterpiece, Appalachian Spring, as it vividly portrays the American landscape. Kojiro Uzmezaki joins the South Bend Symphony as he uses the shakuhachi to transform the landscape imagined in Angel Lam's "Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain," and Takuma Itoh's "Faded Aura."   GET TICKETS  

Join UZIMA! Drum and Dance Company for an inspiring evening as we journey down the road less traveled, following in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mary Church Terrell, and other visionaries who have paved the way for peace and progress. Experience the power of expression through the art of music and dance that transformed the course of humanity. Together, we'll explore the desire for change that compels us forward, forever, as suffragist and activist Terrell wrote, "lifting as we climb." GET TICKETS  

Soprano Angel Blue makes her long-awaited Met role debut as the Ethiopian princess torn between love and country, one of opera's defining roles. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium for Michael Mayer's spectacular new staging, which brings audiences inside the towering pyramids and gilded tombs of ancient Egypt with intricate projections and dazzling animations. Mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi, following her 2024 debut in Verdi's La Forza del Destino, is Aida's Egyptian rival Amneris, and tenor Piotr Beczala is the soldier Radamès — completing opera's greatest love triangle. The all-star cast also features baritone Quinn Kelsey as Amonasro and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy as Ramfis. GET TICKETS  

Gospel giants continue bringing epic concerts to fill the Leighton Concert Hall with praise. Grammy Award and Dove Award winner Fred Hammond — uplifted by a hand-selected choir of community singers — makes his Presenting Series debut. His concert concludes the center's contributions to Notre Dame's Walk the Walk Week. Hammond's smooth voice, distinctive flair for funk, and inspirational messages are why his career has flourished for nearly four decades. GET TICKETS