Concert: A Seasonal Celebration of Benjamin Britten

About this event

Two Christmas classics from Benjamin Britten, in a candlelit concert with the St Margaret’s Choristers and Consort of Westminster Abbey. Join us for an evening of Britten's music as the St Margaret’s Choristers and Consort usher in the festive season. In A Ceremony of Carols , an exquisite collection of miniatures for treble voices and harp, Britten weaves scenes from the Christmas story into a delightful sequence of tableaux framed by a plainsong processional and recessional, by turns joyful, delicate, lyrical and dramatic. The Choristers will then be joined by the St Margaret’s Consort in A Boy was Born , a virtuosic set of variations on an original theme for unaccompanied mixed choir and treble chorus. 50 years after his death, the concert will be a moving tribute to Benjamin Britten, one of the most influential figures in 20th-centruy English music, showcasing two of his finest choral works. About the St Margaret's Choristers The St Margaret’s Choristers, comprising 24 girls aged 11-17 drawn from schools across London, were formed in 2023 and have quickly established themselves as an integral part of the music of Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church. Besides their regular contributions to worship in St Margaret’s Church and the Abbey, the Choristers have also given performances in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Central Hall, and with The English Concert in Westminster Abbey, and been heard on Classic FM. In August, they undertook their first tour, visiting Paris and singing in Notre Dame and La Madeleine. They will be joined in this concert by the full St Margaret’s Consort, the professional choir which provides the music for special services in the Parliamentary Church.