An hour north of Grand Central, a 1939 Mediterranean villa in Katonah dresses up for the holidays with intimate concerts, candlelit rooms full of European treasures and family workshops that run from November into the New Year.
There is something about hearing carols in a living room that a concert hall can never quite match. At Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, New York, that living room happens to be one of the most extraordinary in the region. The Music Room of the Rosen House, the 1939 Mediterranean-style villa built by music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, is the setting for a season of holiday performances, classes, house tours and teas that stretches from mid November through January. With 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands outside and Renaissance treasures inside, it makes an easy and memorable day trip from New York City.
Christmas with Cantus in the Music Room
The season’s musical centerpiece arrives on Sunday, December 6, when Christmas with Cantus fills the Music Room for two performances at 2pm and 4pm. Now in its 32nd season, the acclaimed low-voice ensemble is known for warmth, blend and inventive programming, and its Lessons and Carols for Our Time reimagines the traditional format around themes of hope, peace and unity. Expect beloved carols such as “Silent Night” and “I Saw Three Ships” alongside newer works by Zanaida Robles, Kim Andre Arnesen and Sarah Quartel, pieces by Eric Whitacre and Taku Izumi, and poetry curated by award-winning author Michael Kleber-Diggs. It is part of the Rosen House Concert Series, which brings in-demand artists to the same salon where the Rosens once entertained their friends.
A Carol Primer with Juilliard Extension
Curious listeners can arrive prepared. On Thursday, November 19, from 6pm to 8pm, Caramoor hosts Sacred Songs, Folk Roots: The Making of the Christmas Carol, part of a new lifelong-learning collaboration with Juilliard Extension. Patrick Kreeger, who chairs Music Theory and Analysis at Juilliard Extension and serves as associate organist at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, traces how carols began as lively medieval folk dances before becoming global anthems, with the surprising backstories of Veni Emmanuel, O Tannenbaum and Stille Nacht along the way.
Holiday Rosen House Tours
The house itself is reason enough to visit. From December 9 to 20, Holiday Rosen House Tours run daily at 12:30pm and 1pm, with decorations inspired by the Rosen family archive. The towering Music Room tree returns, joined by new touches for repeat visitors. Rooms here were assembled from villas and chateaux across Europe. The Burgundian Library is a 17th-century French paneled room under a brilliant blue vaulted ceiling, an alcove off the Music Room holds a 16th-century painted Spanish ceiling, and the Formal Dining Room pairs doors thought to be designed by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo for a Venetian palace with turquoise Chinese export wallpaper of birds in flowering trees. In the Music Room itself, look up at the carved coffered ceiling from a house in Lecce, then take in the pink marble twisted columns from Verona, once owned by William Randolph Hearst, and the Franco-Flemish tapestry “The Holy Family.” Tours are sold by advance ticket only.
Holiday Tea Musicales and Gift Shop
For a more leisurely afternoon, the Holiday Tea Musicales on the same dates at 2pm pair a short seasonal performance with tea service in the Music Room. Vocalist Kimberley Hawkey and pianist Peter Yarin perform December 9, 10 and 11, followed by alumni of Caramoor’s Schwab Vocal Rising Stars program: mezzo-soprano Kate Morton with pianist Michele Wong on December 12, 13 and 15, tenor Nathan Romportl on December 16 and 17, and soprano Sophia Baete with pianist Francesco Barfoed on December 18, 19 and 20. Finger sandwiches, holiday sweets and a selection of teas follow, with hot chocolate and marshmallows for younger guests. While you are on site, the Summer Dining Room becomes a Holiday Gift Shop from December 9 to 20, stocked with locally made artisan goods.
Wreath-Making and Gingerbread Workshops
Hands-on traditions fill out the calendar. On Thursday, December 3, from 6:30pm to 8pm, Rosen House Studio Nights: Winter Wreath-Making begins with a self-guided look at the decorated West Corridor before floral designer Abby Blatte leads adults through building a wreath of fresh flowers and fragrant greens, with all materials provided. Children get their own version on Saturday, December 5, from 10am to 11:30am, with a parent or guardian staying for the class. On Saturday, December 19, at 10am, families with children ages 4 and up can decorate gingerbread houses with local bakery BreadsNBakes, sipping hot chocolate after a stroll through the house for inspiration. Every child heads home with a wrapped gingerbread house and gingerbread friend.
Yoga and Winter Walks in January
Once the holidays wind down, Caramoor offers a gentler reset. Yoga in the Music Room runs Tuesdays at 5:30pm throughout January, a mindful practice focused on breath, alignment and presence beneath that remarkable ceiling. And on any day of the year, the gardens and grounds are open free of charge from 10am to 4pm for walks and picnics, along with Caramoor’s permanent collection of site-specific sound sculptures. Whether you come for the carols, the tea or simply a winter walk, it is one of the most charming holiday escapes within easy reach of Manhattan.
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts | Rosen House
149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah, NY
Tickets and information: www.caramoor.org
Telephone: 914.232.1252 (Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 4pm).
Concert tickets are also sold at the on-site Box Office two hours before each performance.
Getting there: Metro-North from Grand Central Terminal to Katonah takes about one hour, followed by a short taxi or rideshare to the estate. Directions and amenities at www.caramoor.org/visit-us/amenities
Grounds: Gardens and grounds open daily from 10am to 4pm, free of charge.
Holiday highlights:
November 19, 6pm to 8pm: Juilliard Extension class, Sacred Songs, Folk Roots: The Making of the Christmas Carol
December 3, 6:30pm to 8pm: Rosen House Studio Nights, Winter Wreath-Making (adults)
December 5, 10am to 11:30am: Kids Crafts at Caramoor, Winter Wreath-Making
December 6, 2pm and 4pm: Christmas with Cantus
December 9 to 20, 12:30pm and 1pm: Holiday Rosen House Tours (advance tickets only)
December 9 to 20, 2pm: Holiday Tea Musicales (reservations required)
December 9 to 20: Holiday Gift Shop in the Summer Dining Room
December 19, 10am: Gingerbread House Decorating for Families (ages 4 and up with an adult)
Tuesdays in January, 5:30pm: Yoga in the Music Room
