LOGAN – A month-long parade of events leading up to Christmas will begin on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Ellen Eccles Theatre in downtown Logan.
That’s when the Grand Kyiv Ballet will perform The Snow Queen for a Cache Valley audience.
The Grand Kyiv Ballet is a Ukrainian ballet company founded in 2014 by principal dancer Oleksandr Stoianov to organize touring performances for Ukrainian dance artists.
The company, which includes dancers from the National Opera of the Ukraine, showcases both classical and modern ballets to audiences worldwide while also supporting Ukrainian culture, providing a platform for dancers displaced by the Russian invasion and raising funds to help restore the Kyiv State Ballet College.
The ballet company will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15.
A week later, “Pickleville on Tour” will blow into town with a preview of their original production of Bandito’s Holiday Heist.
Northern Utah’s favorite mustachioed Mexican bandit is back for another Christmas romp, matching wits with Santa and his elves. Will Juanito Bandito prevail, hijacking Christmas and ending the holiday as we know it? Only director TJ Davis knows and he’ll never tell.
The preview performance of Bandito’s Holiday Heist is slated for one night only on Saturday, Nov. 22. After a quick jaunt through Utah and Idaho, however, the “Pickleville on Tour” troupe will return to Logan to reprise the show on Dec. 19 to 23.
The holiday festivities will continue the weekend following Thanksgiving with the traditional holiday performance of The Nutcracker by the Cache Civic Ballet.
Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and inspired by the E.T.A. Hoffman fairy tale, The Nutcracker is a famous two-act classical ballet first performed in 1892. The ballet tells the tale of a young girl who receives a nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve and the magical adventure that follows.
With a huge cast of dancers and youngsters, The Nutcracker will be performed Friday, Nov. 28 through Monday, Dec. 1.
On Dec. 5 and 6, the Ellen Eccles Theatre will present GENTRI’s 10th anniversary Salute to Christmas.
Short for “The Gentlemen Trio,” GENTRI is composed of three tenors – Brad Robins, Casey Elliot and Bradley Quinn Lever – along with composer and arranger Stephen Nelson. They are known for their “cinematic pop” sound, which blends lush orchestrations with three-part harmonies.
Formed in 2014, the vocal group has performed with many orchestras and choruses throughout Utah, including the American Festival Chorus and Orchestra here in Cache Valley.
The acclaimed tenor Nathan Pacheco will bring his holiday touring show Emmanuel, Christmas 2025 to Logan for one night only on Monday, Dec. 8.
A native Brazilian, Pacheco is a classically trained tenor who has a passion for reaching out and uplifting people through music. He is one of the great tenor voices of his generation and has been featured globally in live performances, including tours of the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland and Wales while performing with orchestras and symphonies.
Critics have praised Pacheco for having a voice as powerful as any in opera, yet singing with all the warmth and accessibility of the great pop artists. ”
The following night, the Eccles Theatre will host A Kurt Bestor Christmas.
Bestor is an American keyboardist and composer who specializing in new-age, orchestral arrangements, film scores and jazz. He is best-known for his instrumental Christmas arrangements.
The Utah-based composer launched his career writing music for television and movies, including more than 40 film scores and more than 40 themes for national TV programs and commercials.
Despite that rather dubious background, Bestor is renowned for his innovative interpretation of seasonal carols and his haunting musical prayer for peace entitled “Prayer of the Children.”
Christmas will take on a bluegrass rhythm when the family band The Petersens present their holiday show on Thursday, Dec. 11.
The Petersens are well-know locally having performed previously for the Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous and at Logan High School.
Although the Petersens’ international fame is derived from their YouTube channel (where they have hundreds of thousands of subscribers and more than 200 million views), the band is also among the top rated live shows in Branson, MO and has completed multiple tours here in North America and overseas in Europe, Ireland and Finland.
On Dec. 12, the Jenny Oaks Baker Family Four will present their Joy to the World: A Sacred Celebration of Christian music.
This heart-warming holiday concert will feature the magic of Grammy-nominated violinist Jenny Oaks Baker and her talented children, along with guest stars.
Finally, the series of holiday shows will conclude on Saturday, Dec. 13 when the Johnson Files will present its Improvised Christmas.
Shaun Johnson, the creator of the amusing Johnson Files on the internet, and his hilarious friends promise to create a new show with every appearance, bringing quick wit, big laughs and plenty of festive surprises.
Tickets for the holiday shows at the Ellen Eccles Theatre can be obtained by going online to www.cachearts.org
The Ellen Eccles Theatre is located at 43 South Main Street in downtown Logan.