Broadway sensation Ashley Brown and multi-genre powerhouse Curtis Bannister to co-host 2025 AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration
Tickets on sale August 19, 2025
AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration
Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle, Indianapolis
December 5–23, 2025
Tickets available beginning at 11:00 a.m., August 19, 2025, at the Hilbert Circle Theatre Box Office (317-639-4300) or the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra website.
INDIANAPOLIS—Start planning now for the most spectacular event of the holiday season! The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra announced Broadway star Ashley Brown and multi-genre talent Curtis Bannister as co-hosts of the 39th annual AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration. Maestro Jack Everly, Principal Pops Conductor, leads the ISO December 5–23, 2025, for a holiday production like no other, featuring 26 performances of Broadway-level vocalists, sensational choreography and costumes, and a truly enchanting experience that keeps audiences coming back year after year.
Tickets go on sale at 11:00 a.m. on August 19, 2025. Bookmark this page and save the date!
Ashley Brown and Curtis Bannister bring dazzling vocal talent and impressive theatrical accolades to the Hilbert Circle Theatre stage. Brown originated the title role in Mary Poppins on Broadway, garnering Outer Critics, Drama League, and Drama Desk nominations for Best Actress. She has wowed ISO patrons with unforgettable appearances in the Printing Partners Pops Series, including Broadway’s Leading Men (2005), Guys and Dolls in Concert (2008), Irving Berlin: From Rags to Ritzes (2009), Ashley Brown’s Broadway (2011) and most recently in 2024 with An Evening with Ashley Brown.
“I’m incredibly honored to serve as co-host of the 2025 Yuletide Celebration. I began my symphonic career alongside Jack Everly, and he’s become a dear friend. Performing with him and the talented musicians of the ISO in one of the country’s most cherished holiday programs is a full circle moment and a dream come true,” said Ms. Brown. “I can’t wait to join Indiana’s favorite Christmas tradition with Curtis Bannister and the entire Yuletide Celebration ensemble cast.”
Following his first ISO appearance in Heather Headley’s showstopper Pops program in 2023, Bannister made his AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration debut in 2024, quickly winning praise from audiences and press alike for his memorable solo performances. Bannister’s recent projects include Heartbeat Opera’s Slaylem, as well as Asolo Rep’s revival of 12 Angry Men – A New Musical, Inherit the Wind and Intimate Apparel. He received a Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination for his portrayal of “Jim” in Big River (August 2023)
“My experience as the featured singer in last season’s Yuletide Celebration was a true highlight; I realized just how special these concerts are to the city of Indianapolis and Indiana. Hoosiers are amazingly lucky to have this unique event woven into Indiana’s culture. I’m eager to get back to Indy and take the stage with the incredible ISO under Jack Everly’s detailed direction and work with the incredibly talented Ashley Brown,” said Bannister.
In addition to Ashley, Curtis, and the orchestra, the ISO is pleased to welcome back nationally acclaimed dance troupe Expressenz and ISO Concertmaster Kevin Lin performing another breathtaking violin solo. Experience the beloved tale of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, cheer for the renowned tap-dancing, high-kicking Santas, and be prepared for new surprises and delights.
Returning vocal ensemble members include Bella Agresta, Mandy McCarthy, Amy Owens, Katie Swaney, Mallorie Singh, Shannon Christie, Ian Black, Joel Flynn, Charlie Metzger, Joseph Perkins, Logan Webber, J. Tyler Whitmer, Allen Sledge, Danny Kingston. Returning dance ensemble members include Alexa Abbott, Michael Humphrey, Sawyer Harvey, Kristan Jackson, Sarah Tewes, Erin Yanney, and Hannah Jew.
Begin your AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration journey in the historic Hilbert Circle Theatre lobby, where the holidays come alive with festive decorations, hot chocolate and Christmas-themed cookies (with a new gluten-free option!), photo opportunities with costumed characters, and melodies from the Wurlitzer organ. Take a photo by the sparkling tree in the lobby and gather round for a daily reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Join the ISO as we continue to honor our community’s beloved holiday traditions at the AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration, while creating new and unforgettable memories this festive season!
About Ashley Brown
Ashley Brown originated the title role in Mary Poppins on Broadway, for which she received Outer Critics, Drama League, and Drama Desk nominations for Best Actress. Brown also starred in the national tour of Mary Poppins, garnering a Garland award for “Best Performance in a Musical.” Other Broadway credits include Emily Hobbs in the recent revival of Elf, Belle in The Beauty and The Beast, and the national tour of Disney’s On The Record. Brown most recently starred as Mother Abbess in multiple Tony Award-winning director Jack O’Brien’s new production of The Sound of Music. Starring in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Oklahoma brought her further critical acclaim. She previously played Magnolia opposite Nathan Gunn in Francesca Zembello’s Showboatat the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Brown has performed with virtually all of the top orchestras in North America, including the Boston Pops, the New York Philharmonic, The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at Disney Hall, The Pittsburgh Symphony, the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, Fort Worth Symphony, the Cincinnati Pops, Philadelphia Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, Seattle Symphony, the Houston Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Jacksonville, and the Philly Pops. She has also performed with the BBC orchestra opposite Josh Groban.
Brown made her solo concert debut at The Kennedy Center as part of Barbara Cook’s Spotlight Series, and has appeared in New York City at prestigious venues including Feinstein’s at the Regency and Birdland. Other projects include star turns in The Golden Apple at City Center Encores, Hello, Dolly! at The Goodspeed Opera House, The Sound of Music (for which she won a Kevin Kline award) and Come From Away at the Muny, Limelight at the La Jolla Playhouse, and her own PBS special entitled “Ashley Brown: Call Me Irresponsible,” which received a PBS Telly Award. Other television credits include NBC’s The Sound of Music. Ms. Brown is the voice of Disneyland’s 60th anniversary celebrations, singing the newly-penned Richard Sherman song “A Kiss Goodnight.” Both Ms. Brown’s album of Broadway and American Songbook standards Speak Low and her newly recorded Christmas EP The Secret of Christmas are available on Ghostlight/Warner Brothers. Ms. Brown is a graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
About Curtis Bannister
ISO patrons first heard Curtis Bannister’s incredible voice during the 2024 AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration, when he quickly became an audience favorite. As the winner of the 2021 Actors Equity Foundation Roger Sturtevant Award: Outstanding Performance in Musical Theater, a Drama League Award nominee: Best Concert Performance and 2023 Joseph Jefferson Award nominee: Outstanding Performance by a Principal Actor in a Musical, actor and tenor Curtis Bannister has been praised by the LA Times as “a quiet revelation” and Broadway World as “a commanding performer.”
Since making his unexpected but lauded operatic debut in the title role of Verdi’s Otello with the Utah Festival, Curtis has been lauded as one of the most talented multi-genre performing artists of his generation for his achievements in theater, classical music, and film. In 2025, Curtis will make his stage debut at the Goodman Theater in The Color Purple following his debut with the company beside Heather Headley for the theater’s 2021 gala, “Together: Center Stage,” made his operatic debut in Washington, D.C., as Robert Johnson in Damien Geter’s “Delta King’s Blues”, and will return as co-host to Indianapolis Symphony’s AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration holiday performances opposite Broadway star Ashley Brown.
Curtis debuted at The Kennedy Center as Soloist 1/Celebrant (cover) in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass for the Center’s 50th Anniversary celebration with the National Symphony and has performed, in concert, with the Cincinnati Symphony/Cincinnati Pops Orchestra’s Celebration Concert, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and his The Philadelphia Orchestra in Bernstein’s Candide alongside Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan. Bannister has performed with Lyric Opera of Chicago, St. Petersburg Opera, Atlanta Opera, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Heartbeat Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre and Utah Festival Opera. Previous theatrical role highlights include Enjolras/Les Miserables, Coalhouse Walker Jr/Ragtime, Sid Sorokin/The Pajama Game, Ragotski & Cacambo/Candide, Celebrant/Bernstein’s Mass, Sweeney Todd/Sweeney Todd, John/Miss Saigon, Jim/Big River, Man 1/Songs for a New World, Jim Conley/Parade, Jamie/The Last Five Years, and Andre/Ain’t Misbehavin’. Future projects include debuts and return performances in Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and a supporting role in the upcoming film A Talented Man.
In film and television, Curtis made his debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in the feature film The Conductor, Marquis on season 2 of the Apple TV+ series Dickinson opposite Hailee Steinfeld, Reimers in season 6 of NBC’s Chicago Fire, and season 2 of the Netflix show Survival of the Thickest, opposite comedian Michelle Buteau.
About Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly
Maestro Jack Everly has served as the ISO’s Principal Pops Conductor for more than 20 years and as the Music Director of the AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration, now entering its 39th year. Each year, he composes original music for the Yuletide performances, along with conducting familiar favorites. Throughout the season, whether he’s leading the ISO through memorable Broadway melodies for the Printing Partners Pops Series or a Star Wars score for the popular Film Series presented by Bank of America, Maestro Everly is beloved by fans for his musical expertise and charismatic personality. He has led the ISO in its first Pops recording, Yuletide Celebration, Volume One, which included three of his own orchestrations.
About the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, at home and thriving in the heart of Indianapolis, offers an exceptional artistic and musical experience. The orchestra is open to all and dedicated to creating an inclusive and innovative experiential environment that is inspiring, educational, and welcoming. The ISO celebrates historically beloved performances while engaging audiences by introducing new voices through programming including the IU Health Classical Series, the Printing Partners Pops Series, the holiday traditions of AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration and the popular Film Series presented by Bank of America. For more information, visit the ISO website.