Christmas is the most important time for concerts at St Martin-in-the-Fields and this season features a packed programme of festive favourites.
28 November 2023, 19.30, £9.00-£32.00
Vivaldi Four Seasons by Candlelight
The Trafalgar Sinfonia performs Vivaldi’s much-loved the Four Seasons, alongside works by Handel and Bach.
29 November 2023, 19.00, £18.00-£25.00
Christmas Party in the Crypt
A Crypt favourite, 7 piece boogie-woogie Big Band. The Red Stripe Band has been stomping their boogie-woogie rhythms for over 20 years now and has played all over the world from Monte Carlo to Tokyo and New York to Milan. The band has a great time wherever it goes – infectious energy filling the venue with on and off stage antics!
1 December 2023, 13.00, £10.00
Rustam Khanmurzin – piano
Experience the spirit of Advent with this delightful collection of piano works with a seasonal theme from pianist and Young Artist of The Musicians’ Company and Oxford Lieder Festival, Rustam Khanmurzin.
1 December 2023, 19.30, £10.00-£30.00
Christmas with St Martin’s Voices by Candlelight
Mark the beginning of the Christmas season with an evening of choir and audience carols led by St Martin’s Voices. St Martin’s Voices perform carols from their new album, A Winter Breviary, including works by Cecilia McDowall, Lucy Walker and Reena Esmail. Carols for all to sing include It Came Upon The Midnight Clear, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and In The Bleak Midwinter.
2, 16, 23 December 2023, 11.00, £10.00-£15.00
Carols for Kids
If only Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer wasn’t so busy this Christmas, we’re sure he would be joining this fun-filled musical treat for kids of all ages. With a bite-size 45 minute family programme, this concert features all the popular festive songs and tunes that children love and will want to sing along to. Christmas jumpers are definitely welcome! The choir will sing much loved classics including Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, alongside audience carols for all to join in with including Away in a Manger, Little Donkey and Once in Royal David’s City.
2, 9, 16, 23 December 2023, 14.00, 16.00, £10.00-£20.00
Festive Family Carols
Our Festive Family Carols concerts offer the chance for children and adults of all ages to come together in a short 1 hour programme of popular carols and music, including a few favourites for you to sing along with. The choir will sing uplifting Christmas classics including Carol of the Bells, Jingle Bells, The Twelve Days of Christmas and We Wish You a Merry Christmas alongside audience carols for all to join in with including Good King Wenceslas, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Silent Night.
7 December 2023, 19.00, £10.00-£30.00
A Trafalgar Square Christmas by Candlelight
On the evening of the lighting of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, join St Martin’s Voices and Strings in the beautiful candlelit church for an evening of music marking the beginning of the Christmas season.
Carols for all to sing include It Came Upon The Midnight Clear, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and In The Bleak Midwinter, alongside works for choir and strings by John Rutter, Lucy Walker and Ola Gjeilo.
8 December 2023, 13.00, £10.00
Ceremony of Carols
St Martin’s Voices celebrate the holiday season with an hour of carols for upper voices, harp and clarinet.
Programme to include:
Britten – A Ceremony of Carols and
Emma Johnson – Songs of Celebration.
8 December 2023, 19.30, £10.00-£36.00
I Fagiolini: Angels, Shepherds and Demons – Bach, Monteverdi, and a pantomime from Naples
Singing angels, baffled shepherds, the devil shooting up into the air like a rocket – I Fagiolini is a choir that knows how to put on a show, and their Christmas concert is no exception. In baroque Naples, angels dance the tarantella; over in Spain, guitars strum, castanets snap, and the celebrations start to get spicy. Meanwhile, Bach knocks at heaven’s door, Monteverdi sets toes-a-tapping, and if none of this is what you expect from a baroque choral Christmas, trust us – it’s very much business as usual for I Fagiolini! An unusual but (very) joyful festive romp from world-class singers at the absolute peak of their game.
10 December 2023, 19.00, £10.00-£35.00
The Joys of Christmas by Candlelight
Join the Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields and St Martin’s Brass for a beautiful evening of carols and seasonal readings. Carols for all to sing include Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O Little Town of Bethlehem and Joy to the World, alongside beautiful choir carols including Willcocks Sussex Carol, Pärt Bogoróditse Dyévo and Leontovych Carol of the Bells.
12 December 2023, 19.00, £10.00-£40.00
Ex Cathedra: Christmas Music by Candlelight
In the deep, still darkness of St Martin-in-the-Fields, only candles pierce the winter gloom. And then, upon the silence, comes the luminous sound of a choir in harmony. Ex Cathedra’s annual evening of Christmas Music by candlelight has become a seasonal tradition in its own right: an evening of song specially devised for the midnight of the year; a garland of seasonal favourites, forgotten jewels and haunting new music, all woven together with readings to make you reflect and smile. With one of the UK’s finest chamber choirs performing by candlelight, it’s a truly beautiful way to celebrate this most magical time of the year.
14 December 2023, 19.30, £10.00-£35.00
A Baroque Christmas by Candlelight
A selection of festive Baroque favourites:
15 December 2023, 19.30, £10.00-£40.00
Tenebrae at Christmas
Award-winning choir Tenebrae returns to St Martin-in-the-Fields with an evening of words and music for the festive season. This specially-created programme takes the audience on a winter’s journey in the company of its protagonist, who shares with us his memories of Christmases past – from the simple joys of music-making and storytelling to wintry walks and precious time spent with friends and family.
17 December 2023, 19.00, £10.00-£35.00
A Christmas Celebration by Candlelight
Join St Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Choir and St Martin’s Brass for a beautiful evening of carols and seasonal readings. Carols for all to sing include Hark! The Herald Angels’ Sing, Once in Royal David’s City, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and In the Bleak Midwinter, alongside beautiful choir carols including Rutter Nativity Carol, Warlock Bethlehem Down, Will Todd My Lord Has Come and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
20 December 2023, 19.30, £10.00-£30.00
Soul Sanctuary: A Gospel Christmas
Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir and comedian, writer, TV presenter and all-round National Treasure Mel Giedroyc will be lifting the roof off at St Martin-in-the-Fields with contemporary gospel re-imaginings of Christmas classics by the gospel geniuses of our age: The Clark Sisters (Oh Come Emmanuel), Israel Houghton (Hark! The Herald Angels Sing), Mervyn Warren et al (And He Shall Purify from Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Ode To Joy) and others besides. And expect a surprise Advent feature by Mel...
21 December 2023, 19.30, £10.00-£42.00
A King’s Singers Christmas: When you wish upon a star
It hardly needs saying – but no choir sings with more beauty, conviction or sense of fun than The King’s Singers. “Every note perfectly placed, every syllable beautifully enunciated, and every phrase deliciously moulded” wrote one critic of their 2021 album Christmas Carols with The King’s Singers. But this legend among vocal ensembles never rests on its laurels, and tonight they journey around the whole world of Christmas music – from their spiritual home, King’s College Chapel, to seasonal masterpieces old and new, in a concert that puts William Byrd alongside Disney favourites, and makes every note shine like gold. The ultimate Christmas treat.
22 December 2023, 16.00, £10.00-£20.00
Family Christmas with the Academy
Join St Martin’s Voices and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields for an afternoon of Christmas favourites for all the family. From the high-spirited escapades of Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride to the quiet stillness of Away in a Manger and Silent Night, this hour-long programme promises festive cheer for all ages! Audience carols will include Once in Royal David’s City and Ding dong! Merrily on High.
22 December 2023, 19.30, £10.00-£35.00
Christmas with the Academy
Join St Martin’s Voices and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields for a festive spectacular featuring Dies Natalis by Gerald Finzi and Choral Fantasy on Old Carols by Gustav Holst. Choral and orchestral arrangements of favourites such as Once in Royal David’s City and In The Bleak Midwinter sit alongside a selection of audience carols including O Little Town of Bethlehem, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.
27 December 2023, 19.30, £10.00-£36.00
Christmas Baroque by Candlelight
29 December 2023, 19.30, £10.00-£35.00
Vivaldi Four Seasons by Candlelight
The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi is a masterpiece of Baroque beauty and drama, still beloved by audiences three centuries later. In this richly varied programme, St Martin’s Chamber Ensemble presents Vivaldi’s iconic work in its full splendour, together with a dazzling selection of musical gems by Handel, Rowley and Corelli.