A CHRISTMAS concert at Stockton Parish Church will see no fewer than four choirs performing, including a visiting ensemble from Norway.
On Saturday, December 2, Cleveland Philharmonic Choir welcomes Egglescliffe School Senior Choir, directed by John Forsyth, who will enter in procession for the opening of Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols.
Oslo Voices, a choir of 33 singers on a short tour of the North of England, presents traditional Norwegian carols, led by conductor Ingrid Hanken, and is then joined by Cleveland Philharmonic Choir in A Boy was Born and Deck the Hall.
The first half ends with the Cleveland and Egglescliffe choirs, together with the Mowbray Orchestra and baritone soloist Neil Turnbull, performing Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols, conducted by John Forsyth.
In the second half, Cleveland Philharmonic Choir, with its own junior choir and singers from Egglescliffe Choir, tells the stories of St Nicolas in the setting by Benjamin Britten.
The orchestra is joined by piano duettists Alison Gill and Rebecca Johnson, the choir’s accompanist, Andrew Christer, plays the organ and Forsyth conducts.
St Nicolas is played by tenor Andrew McAllister, and the parts of young Nicolas, and the "pickled boys" rescued by the saint are sung by trebles from the junior choir.
The concert starts at 7.30pm. Tickets, £14 for adults, £12 for concessions and £2 for children, can be obtained by phoning 01642 782009, online from clevelandphilharmonicchoir.com or at the door.
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