In Morrow This Holiday Season, the Concert Hall and the Arena Swap Notes

On November 21, the Blind Boys of Alabama take the stage at Spivey Hall to perform Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life. Spivey Hall is the Clayton State University recital hall known for organ, piano and chamber music. Three weeks later and a short drive away, T.I. marks 25 years in music with a black-tie show at the Arena at Southlake. Orchestra Noir is backing him.

The recital hall has booked a soul album, and the hip-hop arena has booked an orchestra. This is the first holiday season Morrow has had both stages, and the overlap gives residents a December that runs from a pipe organ on a Saturday afternoon to Queen Latifah on Thanksgiving weekend, all within the city.

A Soul Album at the Recital Hall

Spivey Hall's fall schedule leans toward its usual strengths. Alan Morrison plays the organ on Saturday, November 14, at 3 p.m., with a pre-concert talk on stage at 2:15. Tickets start at $38. The hall dedicates its 2026–27 Organ Series to the memory of Jeannine Morrison. Pianist Daniil Trifonov follows on Friday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m., with tickets from $70. The hall's last date before the new year is Saturday, December 12, at 3 p.m., when Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy play four-hand piano.

The Blind Boys of Alabama show stands out on that list. Spivey Hall's listing bills it as a 50th-anniversary celebration of the Stevie Wonder album "& More." Tickets start at $44, and the curtain is 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 21. The hall's own page quotes Taj Mahal, who first heard the group through his mother: "They've stood the test of time, and they're still striking hot iron with every note."

The weekday mornings reach further still. The hall's Young People's Concert Series brings in the Georgia Tech Glee Club on Thursday, November 12, at 11:15 a.m. The Clayton State University Jazz Ensemble, made up of students and members of the community, plays on Thursday, November 19, at 11:15 a.m. On Tuesday, December 1, Atlanta Brassworks performs "Holiday Brass," a quintet program of holiday traditions from around the world, at 9:45 and 11:15 a.m.

An Orchestra at the Arena

The other stage is new. Clayton County held the ribbon-cutting for the Arena at Southlake on April 22, and WABE reported an 8,000-seat, 268,000-square-foot building behind Southlake Mall. The AJC described its planned uses as conferences, graduations, sporting events and live music.

The arena's first holiday season opens with D-Nice presents The Feast, a two-night residency on Thanksgiving weekend. Both nights are hosted by Kenny Burns, with doors at 7 p.m. and the show at 8. The lineup changes each night:

• Friday, November 27: Too $hort, David Banner, Machel Montano and Digable Planets
• Saturday, November 28: Queen Latifah, Bobby V, Lloyd and Teedra Moses

Tickets for each night are sold separately. Across the two nights, the bill mixes hip-hop, R&B and soca.

Then comes the crossover. The T.I. 25th anniversary celebration on Saturday, December 12, is a black-tie event, and Orchestra Noir provides the arrangements. Doors and parking were still marked TBA on the arena's page.

The Season on One Page

Two Saturdays That Use Both Ends of Town

None of the listed evening shows put both stages on the same night. Spivey Hall holds the weekday mornings, the 3 p.m. matinees and two 7:30 nights. The arena holds Thanksgiving weekend and December 12. That leaves room to stack events on a single day, and two Saturdays in December are built for it.

Saturday, December 5 starts at Spivey Hall with the Spivey Hall Children's Choir Holiday Concert at 3 p.m., with tickets at $25. A second performance runs Sunday, December 6, also at 3 p.m., for anyone who wants to keep Saturday open. The same day, the City of Morrow hosts Christmas in the Park at The District, 1065 Olde Towne Morrow. It features an ice skating rink, Santa's House, photos with Santa and a Christmas tree lighting. The current listing from the Morrow Center gives a start time that appears to be a typo, so confirm the hours with the City of Morrow before you plan the evening.

Saturday, December 12 puts both stages on the same date. Kolesnikov and Tsoy play Spivey Hall at 3 p.m. T.I. and Orchestra Noir take over the arena at 1300 Southlake Circle the same day. The arena has not yet published doors or parking for the T.I. show, so check its page closer to the date before planning a matinee-to-arena day.

Thursday, November 19, works the same way at a smaller scale. The Clayton State University Jazz Ensemble plays Spivey Hall at 11:15 a.m. Later that day, Clayton County Public Schools holds "Unity in the Community: An Evening Focused on Children, Community, and Coherence" at the arena. A community resource fair opens at 4:30 p.m., and a 6 p.m. program follows with student performances and the superintendent's oath of office.

Getting In and Parking

The two venues handle arrival very differently, and it matters on a stacked day. Spivey Hall offers free parking directly in front of the hall and is wheelchair accessible. At 2000 Clayton State Boulevard, the walk from the car to the seat is short. The arena is an 8,000-seat room behind Southlake Mall, and its event pages list parking separately or as TBA, so give an arena night more time than a matinee.

The season's first city-hosted date is Saturday, November 7. The City of Morrow's Veterans Day observance runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Morrow Center & Exhibition Hall, 1180 Southlake Circle, Suite 100. Morrow Center & Exhibition Hall sits on the same Southlake Circle as the arena, so it gives a quick preview of the drive for anyone heading to Thanksgiving weekend.

At Zotique International Realty, we think the places a community gathers say a lot about the life it offers. Morrow's stages are a good example this season. If you're weighing how a home near Southlake or Clayton State fits the way you want to spend your evenings, we'd be glad to talk it through. Work With Us.