You know the holidays are here when area orchestras and bands tune up their instruments and choirs warm up their voices, all the while preparing for a season of holiday concerts.

So don't miss the sounds of the season with this year's line-up of holiday concerts:

Winter Markt

• When: Dec. 2-4
  
• Where: Shain Park
• For more: There's a whole host of choirs and bands lined up to perform during Birmingham's second annual Winter Markt Dec. 2-4 in Shain Park. Included in the line-up are choirs are various Birmingham elementary schools, the Birmingham Brass Quintet, the Langsford Mens Chorus and Deutsche Schule Detroit. For a full list, check out Get Ready for a Taste of Germany: Winter Markt Set for This Weekend

St. Dunstan's Christmas Concert

• When: 3 p.m. Dec. 3
• Where: Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills
• For more: Enjoy the sounds of the season with this concert by the St. Dunstan's Choir. Admission is free.

Birmingham Concert Band: 'Make a Joyful Noise'

• When: 3:30 p.m. Dec. 4
• Where: Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
• For more: Join the Birmingham Concert Band for their holiday concert Sunday as they perform holiday favorites Joyeux Noel, Jingle Bells March and Gloria. The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer's Chancel Choir will also perform Angel's Carol and Mary's Lullaby. Admission is free though donations are encouraged.

Chancel Choir: Kirk in the Hills Annual Advent Concert

• When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4
• Where: Kirk in the Hills
• For more: Come enjoy part one of Handel's Messiah as well as music by Rutter, Mathias, Darke, and Wilcocks. There will also be an audience carol sing-along. Admissions is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students.

Annual Carol Festival

• When: 6 p.m. Dec. 11
• Where: Kirk in the Hills
• For more: A selection of holiday season favorites plus carol singing by all presented by the Young Children’s, Treble Boys, Junior Girls, Intermediate Girls, and Senior Boys and Girls Choirs. Admission is free.

Oakland Choral Society: Handel's Messiah

• When: 4:30 p.m. Dec. 11
• Where: Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
• For more: Under the direction of Frederic DeHaven, the Oakland Choral Society performs Dec. 11. Soloists for the production are Kathleen Keenan (soprano), Daniel Schuetz (countertenor), Kyle Stegall (tenor) and Mark Watson (bass). Tickets are $15 in advance and $25 at the door. For tickets, call 248-391-0184.

St. James and All Saints choirs: 'Caroling, Caroling: An Alfred Burt Family Christmas'

• When: 4 p.m. Dec. 18
• Where: St. James Episcopal Church
• For more: The choirs of St. James and All Saints, Pontiac, with soloists and guest instrumentalists, join forces to present the complete Christmas carols written for Christmas cards 1922-56 by Alfred Burt and his father, the Rev. Bates Burt, onetime rector at All Saints. Images of the Burt Christmas cards and important events from the years they were made will be shown on screen. Admission is free.

Birmingham Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra: 'Make a Joyful Noise'

• When: 7 p.m. Dec. 18
• Where: Groves High School
• For more: Enjoy one of the orchestra's most popular concerts of the year when Charles Greenwell conducts this concert full of holiday favorites. Choires from both Groves and Seaholm High School will also perform. Tickets are $25 though students 18 and under are free.

A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols

• When: 4 p.m. Dec. 18
  
• Where: Kirk in the Hills
• For more: The Chancel Choir will perform congregational carols and a variety of holiday music in an event punctuated by featured seasonal readings from the Holy Scriptures read by the Kirk clergy and lay leaders. Admission is free.

Don't forget

School band, orchestra concerts

Bands, choirs and orchestras from both Groves and Seaholm high schools, as well as the Roeper School will perform this December. Upcoming concert dates include:

• Dec. 4: Roeper Community Chorus Concert (3 p.m.)
• Dec. 7: Roeper Winter Vocal Concert (7 p.m.)
  
• Dec. 7: Bloomfield Township Senior Band Holiday Sing-Along 11 a.m.
• Dec. 8: Lahser High School Chorus Holiday Concert, 9:30 a.m. 
• Dec. 13: Andover High School Collage Concert, 7:30 p.m.
• Dec. 14: Roeper Winter Band Concert (7 p.m.)

For more holiday events, make sure to visit Your Guide to the Holidays in Birmingham. Then, check out our Holiday Guide 2011 for more stories and discussion.