THIS IS LONDON NOVEMBER EDITION 2025 - Flipbook - Page 42
THE PARLIAMENT CHOIR IN A
WESTMINSTER CHRISTMAS
Visitors to London will be able to
join the Parliament Choir for a joyful
start to the festive season with an everpopular evening of Christmas songs and
carols old and new. Conductor is Simon
Over with Soloist Ana Beard Fernandez.
The Choir of the UK Parliament is an
inclusive organisation, where politicians
of all parties and staff work
harmoniously together.
Photo: Bill Cooper
42
ROYAL ALBERT HALL FESTIVE
SEASON
This December, the Royal Albert Hall
crowns its festive season with the return
of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s spectacular
production of The Nutcracker – the
glittering centrepiece of the venue’s
month-long Christmas celebrations.
Created specially for the vast, domed
space of the Hall, this beloved staging
transforms the auditorium into a magical
winter world, complete with sumptuous
period costumes, breathtaking
projections and Tchaikovsky’s score
performed live by the Royal Ballet
Sinfonia. Six performances, running
29 to 31 December, bring Clara’s
dreamlike journey to life on a grand
scale, offering Londoners one of the
city’s most enchanting holiday traditions.
Surrounding this seasonal highlight
is a rich programme that reflects the
Hall’s role as ‘the home of Christmas
in London’. The festivities open on
2 December with Tony Hadley’s
Christmas Big Band, followed by
Glyndebourne’s Messiah on 5 December.
Family audiences can join My Christmas
Orchestral Adventure on 7 December, a
musical quest to help Father Christmas
on his delivery run, while Home Alone in
Concert returns on 6 and 13 December.
Jazz and soul also feature
prominently: Jamie Cullum brings The
Pianoman at Christmas to the Hall on
12 December, while Trevor Nelson’s Soul
Christmas returns on 11 December,
pairing re-imagined R&B arrangements
with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
From 14 to 24 December, the Hall’s
much-loved Carols take over, with 16
performances including an autismfriendly relaxed show. The historic Royal
Choral Society appears on 15 December,
continuing a tradition dating back to
1872, and the London Community
Gospel Choir brings its annual festive
celebration on 16 December. On
18 December, organist Anna Lapwood
leads her first Christmas concert at the
venue, followed on 19 December by the
London debut of Grammy-nominated
hymnwriters Keith and Kristyn Getty.
But it is The Nutcracker, with its
soaring music, enchanting storytelling
and lavish grandeur, that provides the
season’s ultimate finale.
For tickets, visit the website at
www.royalalberthall.com
It is well-loved and has performed to
large and enthusiastic audiences in
iconic venues such as Westminster Hall,
Westminster Abbey, Westminster
Cathedral, the Royal Festival Hall, the
Banqueting House, Coventry Cathedral
and York Minster. The Choir has been an
ambassador for the UK and the UK
Parliament in Berlin (Bundestag), the
Czech Republic (St Vitus Cathedral),
Italy (Tuscan Festival) and France (Notre
Dame de Paris) and The Vatican.
A Westminster Christmas will take
place on Wednesday 3 December at
19.30 at Smith Square Hall. Box Office:
020 7222 1061.
ANDREW BIRD TO PERFORM AT
BARBICAN HALL
In celebration of its 20th anniversary,
GRAMMY-nominated violinist,
songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
Andrew Bird will perform his album
The Mysterious Production of Eggs in
its entirety alongside a full orchestra in
the Barbican Hall on 28 February at
19.30. Bird makes his debut with Britten
Sinfonia conducted by Jacomo Bairos.
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
