Looking for a great gift for someone who loves the arts? Then consider giving gift certificates to North Central College fine and performing arts shows this holiday season.

Gift certificates are available in various denominations and may be redeemed for tickets to upcoming musical, theatrical and dance performances, including:

• Chicago Sinfonietta, Jan. 15, Wentz Concert Hall. This performance is Chicago Sinfonietta’s annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. With Mei-Ann Chen conducting, special guests include guest conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson, Randall Goosby on violin, Nicole Mitchell on flute and the Apostolic Church of God Sanctuary Choir.

• Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, March 3, Wentz Concert Hall. Groundbreaking banjoist, composer and bandleader Béla Fleck has reconvened the extraordinary, initial lineup of Béla Fleck & The Flecktones. The 2011 release “Rocket Science” marks the original group’s first recording in nearly two decades with some of the most forward-thinking music of their long, storied career.

• Air Supply, March 31, Pfeiffer Hall. The hit-making duo celebrates 36 years together with “Mumbo Jumbo,” their first studio recording of original material in eight years. With hits like “All Out of Love” and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” used in major motion pictures and commercials, Air Supply shows no signs of letting up.

Additional artists performing in winter/spring 2012 include Philip Fortenberry Jan. 22, Jim Brickman Jan. 28, Sally Mayes Feb. 12 and Joan Curto Feb. 26.

To learn more about purchasing gift certificates, call the North Central College box office at 630-637-SHOW (7469).

What does Herbie Hancock have in common with Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder? They all performed at New York’s Beacon Theatre on Oct. 1 to help Sting celebrate his 60th birthday!

Hancock belongs among popular music’s short list of elite performers who have exerted tremendous influence—on culture as well as the work of other artists—during decades of recording, composing and performing. He’s enjoying a resurgence in popularity, buoyed by his 2009 Album of the Year Grammy for “River: The Joni Letters,” a tribute to Joni Mitchell that featured instrumental arrangements of Mitchell’s songs as well as tracks with vocal performances by Corrine Bailey Ray, Norah Jones, Tina Turner and Mitchell herself.

North Central College is honored and incredibly fortunate to host a stop on Hancock’s first-ever solo tour. His performance begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, in the College’s Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. Tickets are $95 and $85; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW (7469) or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.

Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Ma, who performs solo in North Central College’s Wentz Concert Hall on Oct. 1, is among the artists being recognized at the 34th annual Kennedy Center Honors . The Dec. 4 ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. will be a celebration of the artistic careers of the cellist Ma, along with singer Barbara Cook, saxophonist/composer Sonny Rollins, singer/songwriter Neil Diamond and actress Meryl Streep.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sit with the honorees during the televised ceremony.

“This year, the Kennedy Center celebrates its 40th anniversary by selecting five extraordinary individuals whose collective artistry has contributed significantly to the cultural life of our nation and the world,” Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein said.

“Yo-Yo Ma’s sterling musicianship makes him one of the most versatile and popular classical music performers in the world and his Silk Road Project has inspired students across the world to love and honor music,” he added.

Ma’s performance begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, in the College’s Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. Tickets are $150 and $125; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW (7469) or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.

The acclaimed classical music envoy will perform selected works by Bach. Ma earned the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance in 1985 for “Bach: Unaccompanied Cello Suites.”