By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Sanctuary of the Arts starts winding down its 2025 calendar with an afternoon designed to lift spirits and anchor the season in music-making of rare warmth and virtuosity. WINTER DREAMS: A Holiday Soirée arrives on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 4 p.m., bringing together three artists who each hold a distinctive place in South Florida’s cultural life: mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider, baritone Jonathan Beyer, and pianist Marina Radiushina, the artistic director of Miami Chamber Music Society. Their program blends art song, opera, cabaret, Broadway, and classic holiday melodies into a festive arc intended to charm devoted classical listeners and casual concertgoers alike.

The concert marks one of Sanctuary of the Arts’ most ambitious vocal offerings this year and adds to a December arts landscape already bustling with concerts, films, and holiday programming across Coral Gables. The Andalusia Avenue venue has quickly gained a reputation for intimate performances that bring audiences close to the creative process, and WINTER DREAMS follows that tradition with a program that invites listeners to watch musicians trade roles, collaborate across genres, and share the stage with a sense of play.

Three artists, one festive collaboration

The afternoon centers on the kind of cross-disciplinary artistry that defines South Florida’s cultural scene. Amanda Crider, widely recognized for her leadership of IlluminArts and her frequent collaborations with Seraphic Fire and the New World Symphony, brings a rich mezzo-soprano voice shaped by both contemporary and classical repertory. Her presence anchors the program with expressive clarity.

Baritone Jonathan Beyer adds a contrasting color and an international résumé that includes major opera houses and symphony halls. His work across American and European stages, including roles in Strauss, Rossini, and modern American opera, gives him an interpretive range that suits the rotating styles planned for the afternoon.

Pianist Marina Radiushina, a cornerstone of Miami’s chamber-music community, is known for performances that combine precision with elegance. As artistic director of MCMS, she has built a reputation for bringing world-class musicians together, and WINTER DREAMS mirrors that curatorial impulse by offering a program that moves seamlessly through historical periods, styles, and moods.

One of the afternoon’s signature features comes from a detail audiences seldom witness: both Crider and Beyer are also trained pianists. They will accompany one another throughout much of the program, creating a musical conversation that shifts roles and textures. Radiushina joins them for selected works and for a finale written for six hands—a display that promises charm as well as coordination.

A journey from art song to opera to Broadway

The selections span more than a century of vocal literature and offer a tour of winter emotions: nostalgia, brightness, devotion, and joy. Works by Frank Bridge and Clara Schumann introduce the program with late-Romantic introspection, followed by songs by Sibelius and Dvořák that lean toward folk color and melodic warmth. These choices offer a foundation for the operatic scenes that follow, with excerpts from Bellini, Rossini, and Strauss highlighting the flexibility of both voices.

Broadway brings a shift in mood, allowing Crider and Beyer to relax into the theatrical ease that has long shaped American holiday traditions. Tom Lehrer’s sharp humor provides contrast and levity, while well-loved cabaret selections create a bridge toward the final portion of the program: classic holiday songs that invite a sense of community and shared anticipation.

This blend is one of Sanctuary’s hallmarks. Rather than presenting an all-opera or all-Broadway lineup, the performance places genres side by side, treating holiday programming as an opportunity to remind audiences that musical joy can sit comfortably across traditions.

Setting encourages connection

Sanctuary of the Arts continues to cultivate performances that feel personal, even in a busy cultural season. The organization’s mission has long included support for artists and encouragement of civic arts engagement, and this event aligns with that identity by lowering the barrier between audience and performer.

Following the concert, audience members are invited to a complimentary reception with refreshments and light snacks. These post-concert gatherings have become one of Sanctuary’s trademarks, offering a chance to meet visiting and local artists in a casual atmosphere. The reception also reaffirms the neighborhood’s commitment to building a community around live performance—a theme that runs through many Coral Gables institutions, including recent programming at Books & Books and winter events at the Coral Gables Art Cinema.

A seasonal invitation

Holiday concerts matter because they create an emotional anchor at a time of year defined by ritual and reflection. WINTER DREAMS offers a shared moment of beauty that blends professional polish with the spontaneity of live collaboration. It encourages families, longtime classical patrons, and newcomers to gather in a space designed for listening, connection, and celebration.

For a city that values its artistic identity, this performance underscores how Coral Gables’ cultural institutions continue to diversify their offerings and attract artists who see South Florida as a creative home. Whether attending for the opera selections, the cabaret interludes, or the warmth of holiday classics, audiences can expect a concert shaped by artistry and generosity—qualities that define both the season and the performers onstage.

If you go…

WINTER DREAMS: A Holiday Soirée
Sunday, Dec. 14 — 4 p.m.
Sanctuary of the Arts, 410 Andalusia Ave.
Tickets: $13–$38, including fees.