It is, for so many of us, the permanent soundtrack of the holiday season. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker,” like no other music, conjures up images for me of warm fireplaces, ...

Musicians in a cramped space under a Phoenix stage send up the familiar tones of “The Nutcracker.” Overhead, satin-and-glue pointed toes pitter-patter across the stage in a performance of the holiday ...