The Wartburg Community Symphony will reimagine Tchaikovsky’s timeless “Nutcracker Suite” during its annual holiday concert set for 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, in Neumann Auditorium.

“The audience will hear the familiar music of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet, followed by a jazz interpretation of the same music created in 1960 by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn,” said Conductor Rebecca Nederhiser.

The program will begin with another familiar holiday classic, Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here” from “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The Iowa Bop Collective will perform Irving Berlin’s “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” and Richard Rodgers’ “My Favorite Things,” arranged by Collective musician Bob Washut.

The orchestra will premiere Josh Hakanson’s jazz arrangement of “Little Drummer Boy” by Katherine Kennicott Davis. Hakanson, a member of the Iowa Bop Collective, also directs the Knightliters Jazz Band at Wartburg.

Don Tate, an author and illustrator who grew up in Iowa and created the images for the children’s book “Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite,” will be in Waverly for the concert, and his illustrations will provide a background for the orchestra performance. Nederhiser will interview Tate and members of the Iowa Bop Collective for her Behind the Music preconcert talk, which begins at 1 p.m. in Neumann Auditorium.

Concert tickets are $20. Youth (18 and under) and Wartburg College students are admitted free. Tickets are available at the door or www.wartburg.edu/symphony.

The Waverly Public Library will host a special session with Tate from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 13, giving children and families an opportunity to interact with the illustrator, hear the Iowa Bop Collective perform and create a special “Nutcracker” Christmas ornament.

Tate will also be available for book signings at the Waverly library and WCS concert; books will not be available for sale at the library or concert but can be purchased online.

“We are grateful for support from the Iowa Arts Council, which provided funding for this special concert that reimagines the ‘Nutcracker’ in ways that appeal to a variety of audiences and ages,” said Nederhiser. “We think it’s a reflection of our orchestra, which brings together community residents, college students, and professional musicians to enrich life in our community.”