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December 6, 2007...

• Handel's Messiah never gets old
• Alabama author Michael Knight and his holiday novellas
• A different take on the holidays with the Santaland Diaries
• Community Calendar
• Rock 'n roll with a touch of the blues from Birmingham band Highwater

George Frideric Handel composed his Messiah in the summer of 1741 and it premiered in Dublin the following spring, but today the work is most associated with the winter. Messiah is among th emost popular works in Western choral literature and next week the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Birmingham Concert Chorale present it at the Alys Stephens Center. Guest conductor Scott Yoo talks with WBHM's Michael Krall...

Interview with conductor Scott Yoo

Scott Yoo conducts the Alabama Symphony in Handel's Messiah, Friday, December 14th at the Alys Stephens Center.

With decorations, food and celebrations, this time of year is usually packaged as one of joy and happiness. But most would probably admit there's a lot of busyness, stress and other less than pleasant emotions wrapped up in the holidays. Particularly as family members pass away and traditions evolve. Those are just some of the themes Alabama writer Michael Knight explores in his pair of novellas The Holiday Season. The first novella follows a father and his two adult sons, three years after their mother died. Michael Knight talked with WBHM's Andrew Yeager.

Michael Knight interview

Author Michael Knight teaches creative writing at the University of Tennessee. He spoke with WBHM's Andrew Yeager. Knight will be at the Alabama Booksmith in Homewood tomorrow evening.

It's a different take on the holidays...a decidedly "David Sedaris" take. Public radio audiences first discovered the best-selling humorist when his Santaland Diaries aired on Morning Edition in the early 1990s. The hilarious misadventures Sedaris had while working as an elf for Macy's Santaland in Manhattan were turned into a stage play by the same name and it's currently on stage at Birmingham Festival Theatre. Actor Shawn Castle plays the Sedaris character. He tells WBHM's Tanya Ott that it's a show he loves - but he still sometimes cringes when he's performing.

Shawn Castle on Santaland Diaries

Santaland Diaries runs through December 15th at Birmingham Festival Theatre.

To hear the audio portion of the Community Calendar from Tapestry, click here.

Want to know more? Activeculture.info is a one-stop source for finding out what's going on in the Birmingham metro area.

The members of Birmingham band Highwater say they were influenced by musicians as diverse as Wide Spread Panic, Kiss and Johnny Cash...and the resulting sound is a testament to that. The band has been jamming around town for two years and plans to get into the studio early next year to record a CD. This is their song Old Habits. Jason Reaves writes the songs and provides vocals. Craig Smith plays bass. They joined us in the WBHM studio. (AUDIO MONTAGE)

Tapestry is produced by Tanya Ott and Michael Krall, with help this week from Islara Vazquez and reporting by Andrew Yeager. I'm Greg Bass, and we'll see you next week.