Details
St Pancras Church
Euston Road
Bloomsbury
London
NW1 2BA
England
Programme
Morten Lauridsen – O magnum mysterium
Jonathan Dove – The Three Kings
Herbert Howells – Sing Lullaby
Arvo Pärt – Bogoroditse Devo
John Tavener – Mother of God
William Mathias – A babe is born
Peter Warlock – Adam lay ybounden
Performers
Michael Waldron – Conductor
Lawrence Williams – organ
Holst Singers
Programme Note
The Breathing Matters Christmas Concert given by The Holst Singers is always a feast of seasonal music and a wonderful start to the festive season. There will be wine and mince pies available before, after and during the interval and the concert will feature a mix of well-known traditional carols as well as more contemporary Christmas music (including those items listed), audience carols and seasonal readings.
Breathing Matters (University College London Hospitals Charity) supports research at University College London into lung diseases. The proceeds from our annual Christmas concert specifically fund research into lung infection and bronchiectasis and raise awareness of this relatively common but poorly understood chronic lung disease. The main symptom of bronchiectasis is recurrent chest infections and patients with severe disease may also have a problem with their breathing due to the chronic lung damage. Bronchiectasis affects an estimated 100,000 people in the UK and unfortunately there is no cure. Breathing Matters funds research work at University College London by doctors and scientists into why people develop bronchiectasis and how best to manage the chronic lung infections.
The Holst Singers is one of Britain's foremost choirs, described by the BBC as "a leading chorus on the international stage". In concert the choir is renowned for dramatic and engaging performances, described by The Times as "interactive concert going at its most revelatory" while the BBC Music Magazine states that "The Holst Singers sing with a spell bounding sense of atmosphere and crystal-clear textures..... supremely musical.
Our guest readers are Charlotte Green and Garry Richardson. Charlotte Green has been a familiar voice on the radio for many years, including as a news reader for the Radio 4 Today programme, the presenter for comedy programme The News Quiz and currently as the reader for Quote ... Unquote. In 2013 she joined Classic fm for five years and BBC Radio 5 Live, where she announces the football results. Garry Richardson has been presenting on the Radio 4 Today programme for 38 years and is the longest serving member of the team. During his long broadcasting career he's interviewed many famous people including President Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela.
"Donation received from Profile Pharma towards the costs of staging this concert"