What to do in Madison this week: Middleton Community Orchestra, Darren Sterud Orchestra and more Isthmus Picks

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Zoo Lights, through Dec. 30, Henry Vilas Zoo: With the temperature finally dropping to levels that feel more like winter, it’s easier to get into the holiday spirit — which is also aided by the return of holiday lights. One of the Madison area’s most elaborate displays can be found at the Henry Vilas Zoo, and your ticket purchase helps fund the zoo (which does not usually charge admission). Santa will be on hand for photos with the kiddos through Dec. 23, and unlimited carousel rides are included with admission. Zoo Lights takes place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 24-Dec. 30, plus Dec. 18-21 and 26-28; note this year tickets for timed entry are only available online at henryvilaszoo.doubleknot.com.

Darren Sterud Orchestra, Dec. 19-20, Cardinal Bar, 6 p.m.: The Darren Sterud Orchestra has made a holiday season tradition for the last decade by presenting Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s music from The Nutcracker ballet. And if you haven’t caught a performance yet, hopefully you didn’t wait on tickets, which were already in short supply in November. Sterud is also retiring the big band for now following this pair of shows, making this a can’t-miss proposition. Both nights kick off with an opening set by Helen and Anthony. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Rich Maciejewski, through Jan. 5, Arts + Literature Laboratory: “Driftless River: Photographing the Lower Wisconsin” showcases Madison photographer Rich Maciejewski’s Wisconsin River landscapes. He gravitates to “places mostly left alone by people, or where people still live with some intentional connection to the natural world.” He writes that the Driftless River exhibit “documents the evocative and sometimes mysterious character of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway. It explores the river as object and symbol, a place with layers of meanings, some which recall our oldest cultural myths.” Note: ALL is closed Dec. 23-Jan. 1.

Beer & Carols, Tuesday, Dec. 19, Bur Oak 7 p.m.: When was the last time you actually sang a bunch of Christmas carols — the fifth grade school pageant? It was fun, wasn’t it? Well believe it or not it’s even more fun with a beer in hand. This fundraiser for the Fritz Food Pantry at Goodman Community Center and St. Stephen’s Food Pantry welcomes everyone to sing, drink and donate. Song sheets are provided and there will be local musicians to lead the singing. It’s hosted by Trinity Lutheran, St. Luke’s Episcopal, Lake Edge Lutheran and St. Stephen’s Lutheran. Fa la la la la, la la beer me. Nonperishable food donations encouraged.

Middleton Community Orchestra, Wednesday, Dec. 20, UW Hamel Music Center-Mead Witter Hall, 7:30 p.m.: The consistently excellent Middleton Community Orchestra presents its holiday season concert at the acoustically superior Hamel Music Center — a perfect pairing. The orchestra is joined by oboe soloist Lindsay Flowers (Wingra Wind Quintet) and violin soloist David Perry (Pro Arte Quartet), performing works by Bach, Cimarosa and Sibelius. Tickets at the door or in advance at Willy Street Co-op West.

On Various Subjects: 250 Years of Phillis Wheatley, through Dec. 22, UW Memorial Library-Room 976: Two special elements combine in this event: The Special Collections gallery space and the colonial American poet Phillis Wheatley. Special Collections is devoting its fall exhibit to Wheatley, the first African American writer to publish a book of poetry, and one of only three colonial American women, period, to publish a book. Wheatley was taken from West Africa when she was about 7 years old and enslaved; her last name Wheatley was the name of the family in Boston that kept her as a domestic servant yet taught her to read and encouraged her writing. She wrote her poetry in the formal, classical tradition, often in rhyming couplets. The exhibit includes a copy of the 1773 first edition of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral as well as other ephemera and artifacts concerning Wheatley in popular culture and the complex legacy of her story. The exhibit runs through Dec. 22; the gallery is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, but note an ID is required to access Memorial Library.

The Nutcracker, through Dec. 24, Overture Hall: There’s a reason that The Nutcracker is the holiday classic ballet. Its memorable score encompasses both the joy and melancholy of the season. It’s about a weird gift (relatable!) and yummy treats. Based on an offbeat story by the master of the uncanny, E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Nutcracker remains magical every year. Madison Ballet’s performance was choreographed in 2021 by former artistic director Sara Stewart Schumann and involves some 75 dancers from the Madison area. Shows at 2 p.m. on Dec. 20, 7 p.m. on Dec. 21, 1 and 7 p.m. on Dec. 22-23, and 1 p.m., Dec. 24. Tickets at overture.org.

Starkweather Winter Solstice Celebration, Thursday, Dec. 21, Olbrich Park sledding hill, 4-8 p.m.: This is the 22nd iteration of the mother of all solstice celebrations. The Friends of Starkweather Creek and the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association do it up right with song, hot chocolate, cider, drumming, giant puppets, a bonfire and bonfire wishes — those thoughts from the year “to forget and lose in the fire ash, wishes to ascend with the smoke, to hope for more light in our lives as we celebrate the beginning of the long night.” In addition to bringing a wish, please bring your own mug to reduce waste. Note that the biggest flames are between 4:30-4:45 p.m.; after that the fire dies down for the wishes. Updates at facebook.com/FriendsofStarkweatherCreek.

Winter Solstice Celebration, Thursday, Dec. 21, The Tinsmith, 6 p.m.: Less bonfire-and-camping-out and more sparkle-and-dressing-up, this solstice fundraiser for NAMI Dane County has music by Emily Volland and Alex Siy, tarot card readings, face painting and more. Even better: The inside of the beautifully restored Trachte building known as The Tinsmith will be fully decorated for the holidays; if you haven’t seen it, this is a great opportunity. And the event even has its own attire inspo Pinterest board. Slay. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

BEEFUS, Thursday, Dec. 21, Harmony Bar, 7 p.m.: If you are hankering to find the X in Xmas this season, BEEFUS has what you need. The singular Madison combo creates a brand-new show each December, combining music and twisted storytelling, and after many years as a WORT-FM special morphed into a live event last year. GRINCH! A Filthy Fun Frolic finds the iconic holiday villain plotting to steal “personal pleasure devices.” The evening also includes a set by Educational Davis and spins by DJs Bad Sister Heidi and Reverend Velveteen Sly (of Psychoacoustics on WORT, which will also be simulcasting from the Harmony starting at 8 p.m.). Hear previous BEEFUS holiday creations at beefus.bandcamp.com.

It’s a Holiday Panto, Charlie Brown, Dec. 15-29, Bartell Theatre: Holiday TV shows come and go, but a few are bedrock, and the bedrockiest of them all are 1964’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas. In Mercury Players' It’s a Holiday Panto, Charlie Brown, our round-headed hero is angsting over streaming services stealing the audience for his show. As he is joined by Linus and the cast of Rudolph, hijinks ensue. Shows at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, plus 2 p.m. on Dec. 17 and 23. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.