This Christmas, Rayfield Allied artists will once again be performing popular advent repertoire around the world. This season in particular features 27 performances of Handel's Messiah, and 11 performances of Bach's Christmas Oratorio.
On 8 December 2018, the Black Dyke Colliery Band are performing Messiah in which five Rayfield Allied artists will collaborate. Caitlin Hulcup, Fflur Wyn, Joshua Ellicott, and Ben McAteer will all appear as soloists, with David Hill conducting. Another collaboration sees Katherine Watson and Matthew Brook performing Christmas Oratorio together on 22 December at St John's Smith Square.
In addition to the many sacred and internationally acclaimed performance venues in the United Kingdom, festive performances can be be heard overseas.
Dane Lam will conduct Messiah in Queensland, Australia on 8 December and Langley Park's Christmas Concert on 16 December. Across the pond, Robin Blaze will perform the Christmas Oratorio in Minnesota and Ari Pelto will conduct a festive favourite, The Nutcracker, with the Saramento Ballet. Benjamin Bevan takes Messiah on a tour around Japan.
European performances include: a tour of Messiah in the Netherlands featuring Nick Pritchard and James Oxley; Christmas Oratorio in San Sebastian and Luxembourg with Andrew Parrot and Peter Harvey; Nicholas Kok, Andrew Kennedy and Nicholas Mogg in Messiah with the Orquesta de Valencia; Matthew Brook in Messiah in Norway; Christmas Oratorio in Riga featuring Nicholas Mulroy, and a family concert conducted by Julia Jones in Wuppertal, Germany.
A full calendar of Christmas events can be seen below:
30 Nov | Nicholas Kok | Silent Night | Opera North | Leeds Town Hall | |
1 Dec | Nicholas Mulroy | Finzi Dies Natalis | Northern Chamber Orchestra | Macclesfield Heritage Centre | |
Katherine Watson, Robin Blaze | Christmas Oratorio | Clare College, Cambridge | Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge | ||
3 Dec | Sean Shibe | Musica Adventus - concerts by candlelight | Scottish Ensemble | Tour of Scotland | |
6 Dec | Matthew Brook | Messiah | Norweigian Wind Ensemble | Immanuels Kirke, Norway | |
Katherine Watson | Messiah | BBC National Orchestra of Wales | St David's Hall, Cardiff | ||
7 Dec | Nicholas Mulroy, Laurence Cummings | Messiah | Ulster Orchestra | Belfast and Derry | |
8 Dec | David Hill, Caitlin Hulcup, Fflur Wyn, Joshua Ellicott, Ben McAteer | Messiah | Black Dyke Colliery Band | Leeds Town Hall | |
Nick Pritchard, Benjamin Bevan, Mhairi Lawson | Messiah | Wells Cathedrial Oratoria Society | Wells Cathedral | ||
Dane Lam | Messiah | Queensland Symphony Orchestra | Queensland Performing Arts Centre | ||
Paul Whelan, James Oxley, William Towers | Messiah | York Minster | York Minster | ||
Robin Blaze | Christmas Oratorio | Minnesota Orchestra | Minnesota Orchestra Hall | ||
9 Dec | Julia Jones | Prokofiev Cinderella | Sinfoineorchester Wuppertal | Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal | |
Katherine Watson | Handel Arias | La Risonanza | Cité de la Musique | ||
12 Dec | Nick Pritchard, Laurence Cummings | Bach Cantatas | The English Concert | St John's Smith Square | |
Nicholas McGegan | Messiah | Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra | Lighthouse, Poole | ||
13 Dec | Robin Blaze | Messiah | Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra | The Palladium, Carmel | |
Mhairi Lawson, Matthew Brook | Messiah | Oxford Philharmonic | Sheldonian Theatre | ||
14 Dec | Ari Pelto | The Nutcracker | Sacramento Ballet | The Community Centre Theater | |
15 Dec | Nicholas Mulroy | Christmas Oratorio | International Bachakademie Stuttgart | Tour of Germany and Italy | |
Andrew Kennedy, Katherine Watson, Anna Harvey, Matthew Brook | Messiah | Salisbury Choral Foundation | Salisbury Cathedral | ||
Nick Pritchard, James Oxley | Messiah | Niewe Philharmonie | Tour of the Netherlands | ||
Dane Lam | Christmas Concert | West Australian Symphony Orchestra | Langley Park | ||
16 Dec | Catriona Morison | Messiah | Philharmonia Orchestra | Royal Festival Hall | |
Andrew Parrot, Peter Harvey | Christmas Oratorio | Le Concert Lorrain | San Sebastian and Luxembourg | ||
18 Dec | Catriona Morison | Messiah | Huddersfield Choral Society | Huddersfield Town Hall | |
Matthew Brook | Messiah | Dunedin Consort | Tour of Scotland | ||
21 Dec | Nicholas Kok, Andrew Kennedy, Nicholas Mogg | Messiah | Orquesta de Valencia | Palau de la Musica de Valencia | |
Nick Pritchard, Anna Harvey | Messiah | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | Royal Albert Hall | ||
Fflur Wyn | Carols by Candlelight | Mozart Festival Orchestra & Chorus | Central Hall Westminster and The Barbican | ||
22 Dec | Katherine Watson, Matthew Brook | Christmas Oratorio | The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge | St John's Smith Square | |
Nicholas Mogg, Joshua Ellicott | Messiah | Orquesta de Valencia | Teatro de la Maestranza de Sevilla | ||
Benjamin Bevan | Messiah | Bach Collegium Japan | Tour of Japan | ||
23 Dec | Katherine Watson, Matthew Brook | Messiah | Polyphony | St John's Smith Square | |
Mhairi Lawson | Baroque Christmas Concert | Bristol Ensemble | St George's, Bristol | ||
Andrew Parrot | Christmas Oratorio | KlangVerwaltung | Munich | ||
28 Dec | Nicholas Mulroy | Christmas Oratorio | Latvijas Koncert | Riga | |
5 Jan | Katherine Watson | Messiah | Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra | Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall |