Culture Calendar: Eight Must-See Arts and Entertainment Events in December 2012

Heavenly Voices

Few holiday performances are as beatific as the famous Vienna Boys’ Choir’s, and no concert space in Boston is more sublime than the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. 12/2

Photo courtesy of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Merry Metal

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is schlock of the highest, most awesome order. This year’s laser-and-flame-filled show at the TD Garden will feature the live debut of its (ahem) “rock opera,” The Lost Christmas Eve. 12/23

Blue Man’s Mommy

Back before whimsical, costumed performance art was a thing, Mummenschanz was a pioneer. The 40-year-old Swiss troupe’s fantastical show (e.g., a giant dancing Slinky, and characters with electrical sockets for faces) comes to the Shubert Theatre this month. 12/5–12/9

Beauty and the High-Tech Beast

Multimedia theater company Lemieux Pilon 4D Art brings its new, non-Disneyfied version of La Belle et la Bête to the Cutler Majestic. Expect dreamy projections on moving screens and hologram-like characters. 12/5–12/9

Laugh Till They Drop

At the Improv Asylum’s No Rest for the Wicked Funny benefit, audience members will test their ability to sit through a 24-hour comedy marathon—and hopefully top the $40,000 the event raised for Globe Santa last year. 12/7–12/8

Classical Christmas

The Holiday Pops matinees at Symphony Hall are geared for the little ones, what with the special sing-alongs, kid-friendly food menus, and post-concert pics with Santa. With the 11 a.m. start, they’ll be all primed for nap time afterward. 12/8–12/9, 12/15–12/16, 12/22–12/24

Loud and Proud

Savin Hill’s Mike McColgan has been a soldier in Desert Storm, the lead singer for the Dropkick Murphys, a firefighter, and, for the past 10 years, leader of the fierce quintet Street Dogs. Get a taste of local punk history at one of the band’s “Wreck the Halls” shows at the Paradise. 12/21–12/22

Photo via First Night Festival

Best for Last

The arts always explode at the First Night Festival like the fireworks over the harbor, with ice sculptures and hundreds of shows around the city. This year’s headliners include R?&?B legend Lee Fields, jazz-funk guitarist John Scofield, and indie icons the Magnetic Fields. 12/31