Dancers with the New York Theatre Ballet performing Keith Michaels' "The Nutcracker." The group will be performing excerpts from "The Nutcracker" as well as the entirety of "Firebird" and Merce Cunningham's "Scramble" at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 13 at the Chenango Arts Council. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH — The Chenango Arts Council (CAC) is celebrating the holiday season with a performance by the New York Theatre Ballet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 13, as well as their annual Members' Exhibit and Holiday Party at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 18.

Tickets to the ballet show are available at ChenangoArts.org and range from $20 to $26, with discounts for members and seniors, and students under the age of 18 can purchase tickets for $10.

The show will include three parts: excerpts from Keith Michaels' "The Nutcracker," the entirety of "Firebird," and Merce Cunningham's "Scramble." After the show, dancers will be holding a meet and greet with the audience.

"It’s a great, rare opportunity to see a show of this production value, and there’s a little bit of something for everyone since there’s three different types of performances that are going to be happening with this one," said CAC Administrative Assistant Mary Beth Miller. "There’s Christmassy parts, there’s all different sorts of parts to it. So there’s definitely something that everyone is going to enjoy."

She said this will also be the first opportunity for visitors to see the first changes made at the Arts Council as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI). So far, Miller said the CAC has completed the replacement of their sound system, with more projects on the way.

The Members' Exhibit and Holiday Party is free to attend and open to the public. CAC member artists are welcome to submit up to three pieces to be included in the gallery, which will be on display from December 8 to February 16.

Art submission forms are available at ChenangoArts.org. Miller said artists should drop off their work by December 5.

Artists are welcome to list their work for sale as well.

"People are also welcome to sell pieces if they are interested, and the form allows for the name and price you were looking to get for that," said Miller. "You don’t have to be interested in selling it at all to participate, but you can."

The event will feature artwork of all kinds, as well as light refreshments and treats provided by The Cottage Bakery.

"There’s all kinds of different mediums typically: fiber arts, painting, drawing, photography, some pottery. All kinds of different things, and we always have treats from The Cottage Bakery, as well as wine and cheese and snacks and things like that for people at our reception," said Miller.

The show will also include live music by Pat Houghton and Anne Franco, a duo of sisters that Miller describes as "very talented musicians." This will be the first time the Arts Council is able to include live music during a gallery show, thanks to a grant from the Everett and Pearl Gilmore Foundation.

Miller said the CAC is hoping to find more local acoustic musicians to perform at gallery openings. Interested musicians can contact the Chenango Arts Council at 607-336-2787 to discuss the opportunity.

"We’re right at the beginning of this process, so any acoustic musicians that might be interested are welcome to reach out to us," she said. "Part of the opening receptions going forward, we’d like to introduce that. So we’re very open to people who are interested in that kind of opportunity."

Local artists who are not yet members also have the opportunity to have their work included in the Members' Exhibit by signing up to be an artist member for a $25 annual fee.

Other benefits of becoming a Chenango Arts Council member include discounts on workshops, performance tickets, and artwork; invitations to members-only events; and inclusion in the annual Performance Series Program Book, which can include the artist's social media and website links, pictures of their work, and a schedule of any events they're hosting.

Plus, member artists also have the opportunity to have their work featured on the NBT Wall of Art, located in the lobby of the main branch of NBT Bank on South Broad Street in Norwich, or hold their own gallery show at the CAC.

Check out ChenangoArts.org or the Chenango Arts Council Facebook page for more details on upcoming events.