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Mount Vernon Virtuosi presents its annual holiday program
Celebrate the holidays with Mount Vernon Virtuosi in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere filled with warmth, joy, and music from diverse traditions and cultures.
Holiday in Jeans brings together festive sounds old and new, a program meant to feel like gathering with friends as much as attending a concert.
The evening opens with Arcangelo Corelli's beloved Christmas Concerto, its gentle Pastorale a fixture of the season since 1690 and a reminder that holiday music-making is itself a centuries-old tradition.
From there, the program turns to a Muslim-inspired tune by Uzbekistan composer Jakhongir Shukur, featuring our own concertmaster Sofiya Lavchenko as soloist—a piece that widens the evening's sense of "holiday" beyond a single culture, drawing on melodic traditions that add fresh color to the season's usual sounds.
The night closes with Ernest Bloch's Concerto Grosso No. 1. Swiss-born and Jewish, Bloch brings Hanukkah into this season of lights alongside Christmas and other traditions being celebrated—his music deeply engaged with his own heritage even as this particular work looks to the past, rooted in Baroque forms but unmistakably twentieth-century in its harmonic language and drive.
Three composers, three centuries, three cultures, one season: a program built on the idea that the holidays are for everyone, enjoyed together in good company.
- Mount Vernon Virtuosi
- Amit Peled, direction
About Tickets
Admission to this program is free and all are welcome.
We encourage you to reserve your spot in advance — it's quick, costs nothing, and ensures you'll receive updates as the event approaches.
A free-will donation will be accepted at this program. Donations are also gratefully accepted by Mount Vernon Virtuosi by clicking here.
Music at Emmanuel is grateful to the Maryland State Arts Council and the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artist Portfolios, www.BakerArtist.org, for their support of the 2026–2027 season.
About the orchestra
Founded in 2018 by internationally renowned cellist Amit Peled, Mount Vernon Virtuosi is a chamber orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. Comprised of seventeen string players, its mission is to provide a place of artistic growth for the young musician on the brink of their professional career. By providing a platform for its musicians to continue developing their skills, the ensemble encourages their personal growth by engaging with audiences of all ages through exceptional performances and community engagement activities throughout the Baltimore and Washington DC region.
Through the generous contributions of dedicated individuals, all regular season performances are presented free of charge. The orchestra continues to develop meaningful partnerships with community organizations throughout the Baltimore area, with concerts and education initiatives in schools, prisons, hospitals, hospice, and in collaboration with local venues that expand our reach and provide easy access to community members.
Beyond regular season concerts in the Baltimore/Washington area, Mount Vernon Virtuosi has toured throughout the East Coast and records exclusively for the CTM Classics recording label. The orchestra’s first recording, “Mozart Live,” was released in 2019.
Parking and Transportation
Emmanuel Church is located at 811 Cathedral Street in Baltimore, on the corner of Cathedral & W. Read Streets in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood.
Ample street parking, both free and metered, is available in historic Mt. Vernon. After 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, and all day on Sundays, many meters do not require payment and most residential restrictions are lifted. Please be sure to consult signage carefully.
However, we strongly encourage our patrons to avoid the stress of searching for street parking, and to make a parking plan before arriving into our residential neighborhood. To that end, the following websites and associated mobile apps may be very useful:
The closest paid parking lot is directly behind Emmanuel Church, at 810 N. Charles Street. Public lots within a three-block radius of the church include:
- 810 N. Charles Street*
- 910 N. Charles Street*
- 917 N. Charles Street
- 926 N. Charles Street
- 1000 N. Charles Street*
- 1017 N. Charles Street
- 124 W. Read Street
- 230 W. Read Street
- 600 Cathedral Street
*SAVE $5 on Parking!* Park in a PMI lot at 810, 910, or 1000 N. Charles St. and add promo code EEC when using the Honk app or honkmobile.com.
The church is also served by local bus routes on both Cathedral and N Charles Streets, as well as the Charm City Circulator (Purple Route) and Baltimore LiteRail Link (Mt Vernon/Centre St Stop).
Emmanuel Church is a 15-minute walk from Baltimore's Pennsylvania Rail Station (with regular MARC and Amtrak services).
About the venue
Emmanuel Episcopal Church is located in the heart of Baltimore's historic Mt. Vernon neighborhood. Its tremendous stone tower at the corner of Cathedral and W. Read Streets serves as a beacon in this community, and the nave's warm acoustic and gentle ambiance contribute to creating an ideal environment in which to hear choral and chamber music.
In 2022, the church building underwent a $3.2M transformation to make each space in its physical plant fully accessible to all; included in this project was an elevator, increased ramp access, and new restroom facilities.