LEWISTON — December is an especially busy month at the Franco-American Heritage Center with seven Christmas concerts in a three-week span featuring mezzo-soprano Joelle Morris, crooner Mike Willette and others. 

“We’re blessed here in Maine with a wealth of musical and artistic talent, and we’re showcasing some of the best of it in a very short time span,” Franco Center Executive Director Louis Morin said.

All but one concert — a performance by the Boston String Quartet — will be given by mostly local artists who live within a half-hour drive of the Franco Center.

Mindful of heating and Christmas expenses, the center has kept ticket prices at no more than $20, with most less than that, Morin said.

Kicking off the holiday season will be Just Us Entertainers with shows at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. Tickets are $10 for adults/$5 for children 12 and under.

On Friday, Dec. 7, Morris, a native of France now living in Winthrop, will take the stage. She will perform many traditional carols from Quebec and France, sung in French, along with popular English classics.

A classically trained singer, Morris has not shied away from other musical genres, touring with the Jean-Marie Reboul Jazz Trio in France and Switzerland. She holds a master’s of music degree in vocal performance and pedagogy from Denver University’s Lamont Conservatory. She has performed three times at the Franco Center. This is her first Christmas concert there. Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. concert are $16 for adults/$14 for seniors and students.

Accompanying Morris will be pianist Bridget Convey, who also plays piano for the Maine Music Society, a group that will give two concerts at the Franco Center that same weekend. These performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9. Both shows feature the Androscoggin Chorale and the Lewiston High School Chamber Choir. For tickets, call L/A Arts at 782-7228.

On Saturday, Dec. 15, Mike Willette will present his Christmas variety show, especially timely this year with the passing of crooner Andy Williams in late September. Willette’s show, featuring music, skits and comedy, is designed to evoke memories of the TV broadcasts Williams once hosted. 

Joining Willette will be local artists Angela and Shawn Robitaille, Kathy Haley, the Elizabeth Hansen Dancers, Devin Dukes and, of course, Santa (played by Bruce Gerry), Rudolph and lots of children. Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. performance are $16 for adults/$14 for seniors and students.

The final Christmas show of the season, “Christmas in Paris,” will be given by the Boston String Quartet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20. For tickets, call (617) 868-1118 or visit www.bostonstringquartet.com.

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