Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra brings Festive Baroque to Assembly on Dec. 5

The orchestra's string players take over a 485-capacity Wall Street room for a Saturday-morning winter program in Kingston.

Most of what Kingston calls live music happens after dark. On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra is doing it at 11 in the morning, when the orchestra's string players bring Festive Baroque to Assembly, 236 Wall St.

The basics: the HVSO's events page lists Festive Baroque at Assembly on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, at 11 a.m., describing it as a cozy winter concert from the orchestra's string ensembles. It's part of the HVSO's chamber programming. Assembly holds 485, so this is a close-up way to hear an orchestra. Tickets are on sale through Tixr.

The program follows the season. In the 2026–27 season listing, Festive Baroque features concertmaster Carole Cowan playing "Winter" from Vivaldi's *The Four Seasons*. Corelli's Christmas Concerto is also on the bill. Few baroque pieces are as tied to December as the Corelli, and "Winter," with its chattering-teeth string figures, is about as vivid as baroque writing gets.

An orchestra at 11 a.m., a block off Wall Street, with Vivaldi's "Winter" on the stand.

The season page also lists a Festive Baroque performance on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie. Readers on the east side of the river may find that one easier to reach. The Kingston date is the one the orchestra and Assembly just added to the calendar, and its morning slot leaves the rest of a December Saturday free.

Chamber dates in non-traditional rooms are one way an orchestra reaches people who might never buy a full-orchestra subscription. The HVSO's about page has more on its mission and history, and its subscriptions page has the full season.

Assembly is an unusual and welcome room for this. A string ensemble in a 485-seat space has no back row in any meaningful sense, so you'll hear bow on string and the breath before an entrance. Expect families, holiday shoppers making a morning of it, and regulars who'd never pass up the Four Seasons in December.

If your idea of a December weekend is a slow morning, good coffee and something beautiful before noon, this is the one to circle. Strings at 11, Wall Street, Dec. 5.

Sources: Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra — Concerts & Events (hudsonvalleysymphony.org); Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra — 2026–27 Season (hudsonvalleysymphony.org); Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra — Season Subscriptions (hudsonvalleysymphony.org); Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra — About (hudsonvalleysymphony.org); Tixr — HVSO Strings: Festive Baroque at Assembly (tixr.com); Hudson Valley Magazine — The Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra Embraces a Fresh Start (hvmag.com); Poetry and Music: Vivaldi's Four Seasons (interlude.hk)