Christmas carol concerts by the St Albans Bach Choir with the London Metropolitan Brass Quintet and organist James McVinnie, with family and evening performances.
St Albans Bach Choir are back at St Albans Cathedral on Saturday 5 December, with two separate carol concerts on the same day: a family matinee at 3pm and an evening performance at 7pm. They're not alone on the platform this time; the choir is joined by the London Metropolitan Brass Quintet and James McVinnie on the organ, all conducted by William Fox.
If the name is new to you, the choir has been a part of the city's musical life for over a century. They gave their first concert in 1924 — a performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion — and marked their centenary by performing the same work in the same place on 23 March 2024. These carol concerts are part of their regular run; the choir stages three major concerts and two charity carol concerts each year in the Cathedral. Their music director has traditionally been the Cathedral's own director of music, a post currently held by William Fox, who was previously assistant director of music at St Paul's Cathedral. Andrew Lucas held the role from 1998 to 2024.
Over the years, the choir has worked with Sir John Rutter, who called them 'wonderful', and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, and they've performed Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius at the Basilica of St Paul in Rome. The venue itself is the shrine to Britain's first saint and the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in the country.
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There are two sets of tickets for each performance. For the 3pm family concert, standard seats are £12 for adults and £4 for under-18s and students, with 'no view' seats at £7 for adults and £2.50 for under-18s and students. The 7pm evening concert is a bit more: standard is £19 for adults and £9 for under-18s and students, and 'no view' is £12 for adults and £6 for under-18s and students. Carers and companions go free. Both are at St Albans Cathedral, Sumpter Yard, AL1 1BY.
