Brass and Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia Winter Tour
On that very first Christmas night – at least, as St Luke tells it – there were shepherds abiding in the fields above Bethlehem. And the first they heard of the glad tidings was the sound of music:
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
So that’s a choir, then. Now look around any great medieval church, and you’ll quickly find angels who are skilled on trumpets. There’s no denying it: brass instruments and choirs are the original sound of Christmas – creating a magic, and a majesty, that spans the ages. Which is exactly what we plan to do tonight: mingling some of the most timeless of Christmas melodies with more recent festive favourites that didn’t necessarily begin in church, but which we’ve taken to our hearts nonetheless.
And when you imagine the Biblical Christmas story, odds are that the first sounds that come to mind are carols like Joy to the World and Oh Come, All Ye Faithful – tunes so familiar that they’ve become like robins, holly and the John Lewis ad. It’s hard to imagine a time when they weren’t there. Some are so ancient that we don’t even know their authors: whether sacred songs like In dulci Jubilo and Gaudete or more secular favourites like God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, The Twelve Days of Christmas and Ding Dong Merrily on High. Altogether now: Glo-o-o-o-o-o-ria!
Others were written with these traditions very much in mind. Johann Sebastian Bach and Giovanni Gabrieli had a head start – as working church musicians (in 18th century Leipzig and 17th century Venice respectively) their music lends itself naturally to sacred celebration. Felix Mendelssohn, no less, wrote the melody we now know as Once in Royal David’s City; more recently, composers of the calibre of Arnold Bax and (in our own time) John Rutter and Judith Bingham have each created their own kind of seasonal magic.
Still – stepping out of church – what could be more festive than a sleigh racing through a wintry landscape – even (perhaps especially) if its occupants are drunk? Sergei Prokofiev’s Troika originally accompanied just such a scene in a Soviet movie – Jingle Bells indeed, though that particular seasonal standard dates from the USA, just before the Civil War. The high-kicking Trepak from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1892 Christmas ballet The Nutcracker is simply the sound of good cheer.
And the most famous Christmas Song of them all actually began life next to a swimming pool in Los Angeles in 1944, where songwriters Mel Tormé and Bob Wells were trying to cool off in the scorching Californian summer. No air-conditioning back then: instead, they started listing things that reminded them of winter – chestnuts roasting, Jack Frost nipping, Yuletide carols…well, you get the picture. Although it’s been said many times, many ways…Merry Christmas to you!
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Internationally renowned, calling Gateshead home.
37 musicians at the top of their game. Electrifying music, old and new. All the talent, determination, and creativity of the North East on a worldwide stage. From their home at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Royal Northern Sinfonia share the joy and wonder of orchestral music with thousands of people across the North of England – and beyond – every year.
From symphonies to string quartets, film soundtracks to choral masses, and original performances with awesome artists from Sheku Kanneh-Mason to Self Esteem, the orchestra’s members have got one of the most varied jobs there is. They’re always looking for fresh new sounds from up-and-coming composers, inviting local communities to share a stage, and doing everything they can to inspire and prepare the musicians of tomorrow to one day take their place.
They’re also working hard to smash the barriers that can stop brilliant people getting into classical music. They’ve teamed up with national partners to support women conductors to develop their careers, to help global majority musicians get vital experience in the orchestra world, and to celebrate disabled and non-disabled musicians breaking new ground together in inclusive ensemble RNS Moves. And they bring new musical opportunities to the region, headlining the first-ever BBC Proms weekend outside London.
Because they whole-heartedly believe orchestral music is for anyone – big cities and rural villages, tiny babies and life-long listeners, die-hard fans and curious minds – they travel far and wide to make sure there’s top-notch classical music on offer for anyone ready to say “I’ll give that a go”. You’ll find them in churches, castles, and community venues across the North, as well as leading the charge in Carlisle, Kendal, Middlesbrough, and Sunderland.
With 65 years of success to build on, they’ve signed a dynamic artistic leadership – Music Director Dinis Sousa, Artistic Partner Maria Włoszczowska, Principal Guest Conductor Nil Venditti and Associate Conductor Ellie Slorach – to lead the way into a bold, bright future.
Wherever the orchestra play and whoever they share a stage with, every performance is a chance to see, hear and feel the music.
Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia is a vital part of the Royal Northern Sinfonia musical family, based at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead. They shine in the great choral masterpieces by George Frideric Handel, Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, excel with contemporary classical music by today’s brightest composers, and bring film scores to life at screenings of Hollywood blockbusters such as Home Alone, Hocus Pocus and Star Wars.
In 2023, they celebrated their 50th anniversary with Mozart’s Requiem and five contemporary pieces from the last five years, Robert Schumann’s rarely-performed oratorio Die Paradise und die Peri and Anton Bruckner’s Mass No. 3 as part of The Glasshouse’s Big Bruckner Weekend. In the 2024/25 season they’ve sung Handel’s Messiah, Gioachino Rossini’s Stabat Mater, and Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with hundreds of musicians from across the North East in The Glasshouse’s latest Share the Stage performance.
As well as traditional classical music, the Chorus also enjoy new contemporary music, giving the world premiere of All My Ships Are White by Sarah Lianne Lewis in July 2022, commissioning A Blue and Tender Flower by Kerensa Briggs to mark our 50th anniversary in October 2023 and including Eleanor Cully-Boehringer’s Snow on Snow in festive concert tour A Choral Nativity.
Beyond the concert hall, the Chorus regularly perform on their own across the North East and Cumbria – popping up in parks, churches and community venues on their summer tours and spreading festive joy at Christmas. They often collaborate with other choirs in the region, including Gateshead Care Home Choir, Durham University Choral Society, Voices of the River’s Edge and now Huddersfield Choral Society for BBC Proms at The Glasshouse.
Founded in 1973 by Royal Northern Sinfonia’s timpanist Alan Fearon, the Chorus currently has over 90 members and has built a brilliant reputation for musical excellence over its 50-year history. The future is bright, with exciting opportunities growing every year, and new members are welcome at any time.
