The Hallé Christmas Concert

The Hallé are playing the Royal Concert Hall on Wednesday 16 December, their Christmas concert for the year. It's a full orchestral night, with Stephen Bell conducting and vocalists Sumudu Jayatilaka and Tom Solomon on the programme. The set is built around festive classics, mixing operatic gems and Hollywood favourites with the seasonal staples you'd expect from a Christmas concert.

It opens with Paul Campbell's Swinging Christmas Overture, and from there it pulls in a wide range of material. There's the Wexford Carol, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Christmas Overture, Carol of the Bells, and Ron Goodwin's White Christmas Overture. The jazz side comes through with Do You Hear What I Hear? and Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song, and you'll get Sleigh Rides by both Delius and Anderson, along with The Polar Express. The romantic numbers include All I Want for Christmas is You, Christmas Tree Farm, and I'll be Home for Christmas. There's also a singalong to Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer for the audience to join in on.

It's a family-friendly one: age guidance is 7+, and under-14s need to be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over. If you're coming from outside the city, there are concert coaches running from Loughborough.

Doors open at 6:30pm, with the first half from 7:30pm to 8:20pm, a 20-minute interval, and the second half from 8:40pm to 9:30pm. Tickets range from £13.00 to £44.50, with under-26s and full-time students paying £5 each. There are also Bargain Seats for £10, available from 12pm on the day, subject to availability.