Brass and Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia Winter Tour
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- What you'll hear
- All about the music
- Take a listen
Joyful. Divine. Christmas come early.
Who’s on stage
The brass and percussion players of Royal Northern Sinfonia with the magnificent Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia and their director Tim Burke.
What they’re playing
A musical sleigh ride through five centuries of festive music, from Gaudete to The Christmas Song via beloved carols and classical favourites like Troika and The Nutcracker.
Need to know
Price: £20 – £25 (adults), £5 (children).
Timings: 2 hours, including a 20 minute interval.
Age: under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets: All seating is unreserved. Online ticket sales will stop at 5pm the day before the concert. Any remaining tickets will be sold on the door but it’s best to book early to guarantee entry.
What you'll hear
Isaac Watts Joy to the World
Traditional In dulci jubilo
Giovanni Gabrieli Canzon septimi toni a 8
Giovanni Gabrieli Salvator noster
Judith Bingham The Clouded Heaven
Traditional Gaudete
Johann Sebastian Bach Now vengeance has been taken
John Francis Wade O Come, All Ye Faithful
Sergei Prokofiev Troika from Lieutenant Kijé
Traditional God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Arnold Bax Mater ora filium
Traditional The Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditional Ding Dong Merrily on High
John Rutter Dormi Jesu
Pyotr Illich Tchaikovsky Trepak from The Nutcracker
Mel Tormé The Christmas Song
James Pierpont Jingle Bells
Felix Mendelssohn Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Who's playing it
Tim Burke conductor
Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
Royal Northern Sinfonia
What's happening in the music?
This isn’t just a collection of Christmas music – it’s a celebration of the season’s full emotional range. Joy, wonder, reflection, play. Big bold choruses and quiet, candlelit moments. Music that lets you sing along one minute and stop to breathe the next. You’ll hear familiar carols in all their festive glory – from the joyful sweep of Joy to the World to the dark sparkle of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. Some come wrapped in rich new arrangements, others just as you know and love them. There’s grandeur too – in the echoing brass of Gabrieli’s Venice, and the shimmering stillness of Bax’s Mater ora filium. Judith Bingham brings a more modern mystery with The Clouded Heaven, while Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky add fast-paced festive tunes you’ll know and love from film and TV – Troika and The Nutcracker.
Take a listen
Need a sprinkle of Christmas spirit today? Here’s Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia in Newcastle Cathedral last Christmas. It’ll do the trick and get you feeling festive.