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| A Christmas Gaiety 2022: Peaches Christmas and Edwin Outwater |
The Royal Northern Sinfonia is certainly going all out for Christmas in the season at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music as well as on tour. TV presenter Matt Baker joins the Orchestra, plus Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia, Voices of the River’s Edge with conductor Ellie Slorach for Christmas at the Glasshouse, whilst conductor Edwin Outwater, drag icons Peaches Christ and Baga Chipz, drag musical phenomenon Le Gateau Chocolat, musical theatre star Kellis Ellis and soprano Rebecca Bottone join the orchestra for Christmas Gaiety – A Queer Holiday Extravaganza!
Still in the more popular vein, Stephen Bell will be directing the Orchestra in Christmas from the Musicals. Then John Wilson and his Sinfonia of London are joined by vocalist Matt Ford for A Christmas Songbook, and another guest artist will be saxophonist Jess Gillam and her ensemble for their Christmas concert.
More traditional fare features in the Winter Tour for brass and percussion players from the Orchestra promising a musical sleigh ride through Newcastle, Hexham and Heaton directed by Tim Burke. Still on tour, the Orchestra will be in Alnwick, Musselburgh, Sunderland, Berwick, Newcastle and Carlisle, with a Baroque programme featuring Corelli’s Christmas Concerto (of course), alongside Leclair, Locatelli, Torelli and Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. Whilst in Kendal, Cullercoats, Redcar, Bishop Auckland, Hartlepool and Hexham, the programme moves from Dowland and Handel to Marais and Lully.
And of course Christmas means Handel’s Messiah, and Kristian Bezuidenhout will be directing the Orchestra and Chorus.
There is big screen fun with Home Alone with a live score from the Orchestra, along with the Glasshouse choir for 18 – 35-year-olds, Voices of the River’s Edge, completes the wonder by singing the main theme Somewhere in My Memory. And what would Christmas be without The Snowman. The classic film with Howard Blake’s music performed live by the Orchestra features with Ellie Slorach conducting and the programme is completed by We’re going on a bear hunt with a terrific score by Stuart Hancock.
The fun continues after Christmas with an evening of music from Bond films and of course the ‘traditional’ Viennese classics.
Full details from the Glasshouse’s website.
