It may still be summer, but winter is in the air. The holiday staple Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) has announced dates for its 2008 Winter Tour. The rock symphony kicks off its seasonal tour on November 1 with double performances in Iowa and Ohio and ends similarly on January 4 with shows in Texas and Ohio.

TSO will offer same-day matinee and evening performances at many of the venues on this extensive, 51-day tour. Two TSO bands are participating in the 2008 tour, which allows cities across the United States and Canada to host shows on the same day.

Founded in 1996, TSO incorporates elements of classical music, progressive rock and even heavy metal. The orchestra is best known for its unique renditions of holiday songs, making its performances and music a staple of the winter season.

The group debuted with “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” in October 2006 and has since followed up with three more albums. A fifth full-length album, “Night Castle” is still in production. Though it was announced in 2005, the group’s high standards in the recording studio pushed back the album’s spring 2008 release date. A new estimate for the album’s release has not been announced.

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To date, the group has completed only one other non-holiday album, “Beethoven’s Last Night,” a collection of songs by the famous composer and original pieces by TSO.

Trans Siberian Orchestra itinerary:
(Dates subject to change.)

November 1 Council Bluffs, IA Mid-America Center (two shows)
November 1 Youngstown, OH Chevrolet Centre (two shows)
November 2 Grand Forks, ND Alerus Center
November 2 Hershey, PA Giant Center @ Hershey Park (two shows)
November 3 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
November 4 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre
November 5 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome
November 5 Wilkes-Barre, PA Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza (two shows)
November 6 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena
November 7 Charleston, WV Charleston Civic Center
November 7 Vancouver, BC GM Place
November 8 Richmond, VA Richmond Coliseum (two shows)
November 8 Seattle, WA KeyArena at Seattle Center (two shows)
November 9 Columbia, SC Colonial Center (two shows)
November 9 Portland, OR Rose Garden (two shows)
November 10 Nampa, ID Idaho Center
November 12 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
November 13 Salt Lake City, UT The E Center
November 13 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center
November 14 Reno, NV Reno Events Center
November 14 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
November 15 Orlando, FL UCF Arena
November 15 Sacramento, CA Arco Arena (two shows)
November 16 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
November 16 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
November 17 Tallahassee, FL Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center
November 19 Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum
November 19 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center
November 20 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
November 20 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
November 21 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Complex
November 21 San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena
November 22 Anaheim, CA The Theatre at Honda Center
November 22 Raleigh, NC RBC Center (two shows)
November 23 Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center (two shows)
November 23 Phoenix, AZ Glendale Arena (two shows)
November 25 El Paso, TX Don Haskins Center (two shows)
November 26 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
November 27 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
November 28 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center (two shows)
November 29 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center (two shows)
November 29 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center (two shows)
November 30 Hartford, CT XL Center (two shows)
November 30 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center (two shows)
December 3 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
December 3 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
December 4 Colorado Springs, CO World Arena (two shows)
December 4 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
December 5 Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum
December 5 Wichita, KS Kansas Coliseum
December 6 Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena (two shows)
December 6 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
December 7 Albany, NY Times Union Center (two shows)
December 7 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center (two shows)
December 10 Green Bay, WI Resch Center (two shows)
December 10 Providence, RI Dunkin’ Donuts Center (two shows)
December 11 Madison, WI Kohl Center Arena
December 11 Worcester, MA DCU Center
December 12 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Arena
vDecember 12 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
December 13 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Arena (two shows)
December 13 Moline, IL Wireless Center (two shows)
December 14 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center (two shows)
December 14 Washington, DC Verizon Center (two shows)
December 17 Jackson, MS Mississippi Coliseum (two shows)
December 17 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena (two shows)
December 18 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
December 19 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
December 20 Birmingham, AL BJCC Arena (two shows)
December 20 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena (two shows)
December 21 Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills (two shows)
December 21 Nashville, TN Sommet Center (two shows)
December 22 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse
December 22 Knoxville, TN Thompson-Boling Arena
December 23 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena (two shows)
December 23 Memphis, TN FedExForum (two shows)
December 26 Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena (two shows)
December 26 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre (two shows)
December 27 Bossier City, LA CenturyTel Center (two shows)
December 27 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
December 28 Houston, TX Toyota Center (two shows)
December 28 Lansing, MI Breslin Center
December 29 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena (two shows)
December 29 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
December 30 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena (two shows)
December 30 Lubbock, TX United Spirit Arena
January 2 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena (two shows)
January 2 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center (two shows)
January 3 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena (two shows)
January 3 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center (two shows)
January 4 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center (two shows)
January 4 Dayton, OH Nutter Center (two shows)