Winter Revels

Andalusian Treasures: Winter Revels 2026Our 43rd annual winter production is set in ancient Spain and celebrates Jewish, Arabic and Spanish music and traditions. Featuring guest ensemble Trio Sefardi, with Howard Bass, Susan Gaeta and Tina Chancey; Arab-American vocalist and oud player Laith Alattar, with Abderrahim Amthqal on ney and percussionist Ali Bandeali; and the Washington Revels Brass and chorus, a magical world of haunting melodies, folk carols, driving rhythms, and joyous singing unfolds.

Our story begins in ancient Al-Andalus as three adventurers stumble upon a secret chamber filled with an extraordinary treasure from the time of the caliphs, when the Moorish, Sephardic, and Iberian cultures flourished. Inside the chamber, these riches glow with an ethereal light that seems to bring immeasurable joy. When that light disappears on the darkest night of the year, a quest begins. What is the light? Can it be rekindled? The answer lies in the spirit of Córdoba, and the legacy of three great cultures, united in a moment in time.

Purchase On-Demand Tickets
Read Program Notes (PDF)

ON-DEMAND VIEWING

In-person performances concluded on Saturday, December 20.Andalusian Treasures group photo (2025)

On-demand Tickets Now on Sale!

Missed in-person performances?  Don’t live in the D.C. area? Winter Revels 2025 is also available on demand for $35 per device! Online access will begin around December 29, 2025 and remain active through the end of January 2026.

Purchase On-Demand Tickets

Photo credit: Alain Lázaro Gutiérrez Almeida 

Andalusian Treasures 2025 - Three Fools
Andalusian Treasures 2025 - Trio Andalus

GUEST ARTISTS

TRIO SEFARDI
Susan Gaeta, Howard Bass, Tina Chancey

Trio Sefardi (Susan Gaeta, Howard Bass, Tina Chancey)

Howard Bass, lute and guitar

Howard Bass

Howard Bass (lute, guitar, percussion) is a founding member of Trio Sefardi and was a founding member of the early and Sephardic music ensemble, La Rondinella, which recorded three CDs for the Dorian label. He performs programs of Renaissance music for voice and lute with mezzo-soprano Barbara Hollinshead and was an accompanist for Sephardic singer-composer Flory Jagoda for many years. In addition to three CDs with Barbara Hollinshead and three with Trio Sefardi, Howard has performed and recorded with HESPERUS, the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the Folger Consort, the Baltimore Consort, and the Choral Arts Society of Washington, among others. Howard was a program producer at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the National Museum of the American Indian for three decades before retiring at the end of 2010. hollinsheadbass.com

Tina Chancey

Tina Chancey

Tina Chancey (bowed string, percussion, backup vocals) directs HESPERUS, the world-traveled early/traditional music ensemble dedicated to bringing the past alive through collaborations between early music and film, theater, dance and world music. She plays early and traditional bowed strings from rebec, kamenj and vielle to viola da gamba and Old Time and Irish fiddle. On these instruments, she plays roots music from Sephardic and blues to early music and jazz standards. Her particular specialty is the five-stringed pardessus de viole, the subject of her dissertation; she was awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts to present pardessus concerts at Carnegie Recital Hall and Kennedy Center, and has recorded for Dorian and Golden Apple. A member of Toss the Feathers and Trio Sefardi, she is a former member of the Folger Consort, La Rondinella, the early music/ rock band Blackmore’s Night, and the multi-media music theater ensemble QUOG. She teaches, performs records, produces recordings for others, and directs the SoundCatcher workshops– teaching musicians to play by ear and improvise. Her Versatile Viol series of three recordings includes Scots-Irish music, Leclair sonatas, and Appalachian music, all featuring the viol. In June 2008, Dr. Chancey was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Early Music America.  tinachancey.com

Susan Gaeta

Susan Gaeta

Susan Gaeta (vocals, guitar, percussion) is a Master Artist at Virginia Humanities and an important member of a new generation of musicians who are exploring the varied traditions of Sephardic music. Susan lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for eight years where she performed classic jazz and traditional Argentine folk songs. Under the auspices of the 2002-2003 Folklife Apprenticeship Program to the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, Susan completed studies with National Heritage Fellow, Flory Jagoda, composer, singer, and musician known as the “Keeper of the Flame” of Sephardic music.

Susan continued to perform with Flory for several years as a duo and with the Flory Jagoda Trio. She has appeared at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, at the Greater Washington Folk Festival, the United States Holocaust Museum, before numerous Jewish and inter-faith communities and in historic concerts in Istanbul and Sarajevo. She performs nationally as a soloist, as a member of Trio Sefardi and with Minnush, a folk-jazz Sephardic band formed in 2018 with her apprentice, Gina Sobel. susangaeta.com

Laith Alattar

Laith Alattar

Laith Alattar is an Arab American composer, vocalist, and oud player who performs a diverse assortment traditional and contemporary Arab, Middle Eastern, and world music. Hailing from a global music backdrop of cosmopolitan Baghdad—at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road connecting Arab, Turkish, Persian, Indian, Greek, and Andalusian traditions—Laith completed Western musical training in Composition and Voice at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, & Dance in Ann Arbor, while studying Oud and Maqam under the apprenticeship of renowned masters Abdul Karim Bader, Simon Shaheen, and Rima Khcheich. Laith specializes in showcasing the richness and diversity of Middle Eastern music and
developing cross-cultural collaborations that bring together different communities and musical traditions through shared elements of melody and rhythm. Laith performs regularly at many embassies and cultural events across the DMV and also participates in the Silkroad Project’s annual Global Musician Workshops in Boston and Hangzhou, China, and the Berklee at the Gnaoua and World Music Festival program in Essaouira, Morocco. www.facebook.com/laithalattarmusic

Abdererrahim Amthqal

Abderrahim Amthqal

Abderrahim Amthqal is a self-taught musician originally from Morocco. He began his musical career playing the Ney, an end-blown flute made from bamboo, while in high school, and has since then traveled around several countries, performing with different bands in Morocco, Europe, and the United Arab Emirates. Abderrahim has been performing around the DC metro area and across the United States and has toured with some of the greatest Arab singers, such as Kadim Al Sahir.

Ali Bandeali

Ali Bandeali

Ali Bandeali is a percussionist whose work bridges orchestral, Middle Eastern, and South Indian traditions. He toured nationally with The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps during their world championship season and has been a member of the Silkroad Ensemble Global Musician Workshop and Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra. His performance credits include Moslem Alipour’s ensemble, the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, the Waynesboro Symphony, and performances with members of the Turkish Ministry of Culture ensemble. His work extends to short films, with original scores for Painter of Rust and Conference of the Moths.

WASHINGTON REVELS BRASS

The Washington Revels Brass lends its joyful, clarion sound to every Christmas Revels production. Current performers include: Les Linn and Fred Marcellus, trumpets; Andrew Houde, French horn and Bryan Bourne and Jeff Gaylord, trombones. The ensemble views itself in a certain sense as a microcosm of Revels everywhere: they have their own rituals, traditions, and personality. They differ from every other part of the Revels only in that their ways are largely invisible to all but themselves. (Photo by Alain L. Gutiérrez Almeida)

Alma Flamenca Dance

Alma Dance Company is a vibrant flamenco ensemble founded and directed by Yolit Yospe-Kachlon. Based in the DMV, the company features local dancers who bring passion, precision, and authentic flamenco expression to the stage.
They perform regularly at venues across the region and train at Alma Dance Studio, where they continue to grow as a dynamic artistic community.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the performance dates for the 2025 Winter Revels?
There will be eight performances, December 12-20, including matinees and evenings.
Learn more about this year’s Winter Revels: Andalusian Treasures.

Where will Winter Revels be held?
All performances will be held at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center (CAC).

Where is the Cultural Arts Center (CAC) located?
The CAC is located on Montgomery College’s Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus at 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland.
View a map showing the location.

When can we purchase tickets?
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, October 30. Tickets will be available for purchase online via the Washington Revels website.

What ADA services are available at the CAC?
In addition to accessibility ramps and elevators, patrons who are hearing impaired will be able to take advantage of a free infrared system from any seat during any performance. Receivers are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Box Office. There are also multiple ADA/Handicapped seating options available at the new theater; please call the office at 301-587-3835 for assistance in booking this type of ticket for one or more members of your party.

How do I get to the CAC?
The CAC is located a ½-mile walk from both the Silver Spring Metro station on the Red Line. From the Silver Spring Metro, Metrobus line 70 (direction Archives) departs every 15 minutes to reach the CAC. If you are driving, the CAC is located just outside of the District of Columbia on Georgia Avenue. There is ample free parking available in the 5-level West Garage located at 930 King St. (right off of Georgia Avenue.).
View a detailed map and directions [PDF]

Are there dining options near the CAC?
Yes. There are multiple pre- and post-show dining opportunities in downtown Silver Spring. In addition, below is a selection of restaurants that are very close to the Cultural Arts Center:

Will on-demand viewing be available?
Yes. We will be offering “Winter Revels On Demand” again this year. The viewing period will begin about one week after the Winter Revels closes (late December or early January) until approximately January 31, 2026. More details will be provided in December.

PAST PRODUCTIONS

Our flagship production, The Winter Revels, is a festive, fully staged celebration of the December holidays and Winter Solstice and the return of sun and light after the “shortest day,” radiating hope and joy in the renewal of life and the circle of the seasons. Seen by over 10,000 people every December, it draws on traditions and rituals from many lands and peoples, focusing each year on a different culture or related cultures.

Select a link below to learn more about that production.

 The Christmas Revels On Demand

2021-2023

2011-2020

 Photos from the Thomas Hardy Revels

2001-2010

 Photo from African-American Revels

1991-2000

  • 2000: Celtic
  • 1999: Celestial Fools
  • 1998: Shepherd Alley – Washington, D.C.
  • 1997: Medieval – King and the Fool
  • 1996: Northlands
  • 1995: French
  • 1994: Victorian
  • 1993: Celtic
  • 1992: Celestial Fools
  • 1991: Russian and American
 Photo from an early Washington Revels production

1983-1990

  • 1990: Medieval
  • 1989: Storybook
  • 1988: Medieval
  • 1987: Celtic
  • 1986: French
  • 1985: Appalachian-American (featuring Jean Ritchie)
  • 1984: “Haddon Hall”
  • 1983: Medieval

ahc-newlogo_hr