Christmas is such a magical time of the year.  A time when we enjoy the glow of Christmas lights that adorn trees and houses, the warmth of cosy log fires and the joy of catching up with family and friends at those many social gatherings.  However, there is another important tradition, as well as attending midnight services of course, and that is the singing of carols.  It just doesn’t feel like Christmas without having had a good old sing of Hark the Herald or O Come all ye Faithful.  So, why not join the Surrey Hills choirs for your Christmas carol fix this year. 

Our annual Christmas concert will be held on Sunday 8th December, 7pm, at St Nicolas Church, Bury Street, Guildford and will feature two excellent choirs, the Surrey Hills Chamber Choir and the Surrey Hills Singers.  These choirs are renowned for their enjoyable concerts as they sing all styles of music, but most importantly sing from memory, and often unconducted, to tell the story of each song directly to you, the audience.  The beautiful church is lit by candlelight to create a very seasonal setting and the concert is followed by wine and nibbles, all of which is included in the ticket price.

As well as the traditional carols ‘Es ist ein Ros entsprungen’, ‘Away in a Manger’, ‘Blessed be that Maid Marie’, ‘Mary walked through a wood of thorns’, and ‘We Three Kings’, the Chamber Choir will also sing some very well-known atmospheric songs, including ‘O Radiant Dawn’ by James MacMillan, ‘Northern Lights’ by Ola Gjeilo, ‘Morning Star’ by Arvo Part and ‘Alleluia’ by Randall Thompson. 

The lovely ladies of the Surrey Hills Singers will sing the much-loved Ukranian ‘Carol of the Bells’, the hauntingly beautiful ‘A Nativity’ by John Tavener and a new setting of ‘O Magnum Mysterium’ (O great mystery) by Thomas Juneau.  To contrast, they will perform the upbeat spiritual ‘Mary sat a rockin’ which is certain to get all toes tapping.  Earlier in the concert they will sing the close harmony song ‘Run to you’ by Pentatonix as well as joining forces with the ladies from the Chamber Choir in a magnificent rendition of the stirring ‘Tundra’ by Ola Gjeilo, which depicts the frozen landscape.

There will be, of course, the opportunity for the audience to join in some Christmas carols too.

Tickets are £14 for Adults and £5 for under 16s and will be available to book online from Friday 22nd November at www.singsurreyhills.com

This annual concert is very popular and frequently sells out.  Book early to avoid disappointment.  We look forward to welcoming you.