THIS IS LONDON NOVEMBER EDITION 2025 - Flipbook - Page 40
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CHRISTMAS FROM QUEEN’S
Are you searching for your fix of
Christmas favourites this holiday
season? Christmas from Queen’s
promises to transport you – with the
help of Smith Square Hall’s superb
acoustics – to The Queen’s College,
Oxford, for a sparkling evening of festive
music. The choir will perform a joyful
programme of traditional carols and
modern gems that everyone will
recognise and love at 19.30 on Friday,
19 December. The Choir’s Christmas
performances have been hailed by The
Mail on Sunday, where David Mellor
awarded five stars, describing the music
as ‘all beautifully sung’ and brimming
with ‘the finest Christmas spirit.’
Alongside well-loved classics that
the audience will be invited to join in
with, the concert features twentieth and
twenty-first-century pieces by
composers connected to Queen’s,
including Herbert Howells’s Three CarolAnthems, Kenneth Leighton’s Three
Carols, and extracts from David
Bednall’s Welcome All Wonders, a
striking Christmas cantata written for the
choir in 2011. The evening also
showcases exquisite and exciting works
by Cecilia McDowall, Dobrinka
Tabakova, and Imogen Holst.
Renowned as ‘an undoubted jewel in
Britain’s choral scene’ (BBC Music
Magazine), the Choir of The Queen’s
College, Oxford – directed by Owen
Rees – stands among the country’s most
distinguished university choirs. Their
acclaimed recordings, including Carols
from Queen’s and A Ceremony of Carols,
have been celebrated on Classic FM and
in The Telegraph for their beauty and
expression. With a rich concert schedule
across the UK and abroad, and
collaborations with leading orchestras
such as the Academy of Ancient Music
and Britten Sinfonia, the choir continues
to enchant audiences wherever they
perform.
Whether you are a devoted choral
enthusiast or simply looking to rekindle
your Christmas spirit, Christmas from
Queen’s offers a radiant evening of
music-making, perfectly blending
tradition, warmth, and festive joy.
For more on the choir, visit
www.queenschoir.com, and for concert
details and tickets, visit
www.sinfoniasmithsq.org.uk/event/christ
mas-from-queens/
CHILDLINE’S ANNUAL CAROL
CONCERT
This year’s Childline Carol Concert
promises a festive evening of starstudded entertainment in support of the
NSPCC’s vital listening service for
under-19s. The long-running event,
hosted by Kate Lawler, will take place at
Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street on
11 December.
Celebrity performers and readers
confirmed for the event include Ben
Miller, Heidi Range, Gwyneth Strong,
and Ellen Williams. Popular Call the
Midwife actors Chris Harper (Geoffrey
Franklin), Rebecca Gethings (Sister
Veronica), and Linda Bassett (Nurse
Phyllis Crane) will also make
appearances, promising an evening of
heartwarming readings and
performances. Guests will enjoy a
complimentary glass of fizz and a
mince pie as part of the experience.
Ben Miller, an NSPCC Friend,
commented: 'As a father and children’s
author, I’m proud to be reading at
Childline’s Carol Concert this year,
helping make sure someone is there for
any child who needs support this
Christmas.' Kate Lawler added,
'Christmas should be magical for every
child, yet for some, it is a particularly
vulnerable time. Childline’s support is
crucial, and I am honoured to host this
evening to raise funds for such an
important cause.'
Previous concerts have seen
appearances by the Duchess of
Edinburgh, Michael Ball, Leona Lewis,
Martin Freeman, Elaine Paige, and Anton
Du Beke, collectively raising over
£125,000 for Childline in the last two
years. Shaun Friel, Director of Childline,
emphasised that 'just £4 could help
answer a child’s call or message when
they most need it.
T H I S I S L O N D O N M A G A Z I N E • T H I S I S L O N D O N O N L I N E • w w w. t i l . c o m • @ t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g
