The Great Hall at Central Hall Westminster will provide a stunning backdrop for four evenings of festive musical performances, organised by leading concert & events promoter Raymond Gubbay Ltd. These festive concerts have been entertaining audiences in London for over 20 years and come to Central Hall for the first time in 2018.
The central London venue can also confirm that the hugely popular Raymond Gubbay Christmas performances will be returning again at Christmas 2019, with final dates to be announced.
The live 2018 shows, Carols by Candlelight and Christmas Carols Singalong, performed in front of an audience of up to 2,000, will take place from 14th to 22nd December and will feature a host of national and international musical talent.
Carols by Candlelight is a sublime concert of carols and seasonal classics, staged in full 18th Century costume in an evocative candlelit setting. The event will feature the Mozart Festival Chorus and Orchestra and is to be conducted by Steven Devine with Soprano Fflur Wyn. Actor Peter Davison will appear as a special guest to read extracts from Dickens and from the Scriptures.
The Christmas Carol Singalong is led by the irrepressible showman Jonathan Cohen who will take the audience through a fun-filled jamboree of his most-loved carols and all-time Christmas hits. For both events, the venue’s iconic Great Hall will be festooned with traditional Christmas decorations and lighting to create a very special Christmas atmosphere.
Carols to be performed at the Carols by Candlelight event include Cullen’s Joy to the World; Handel’s Christmas Sequence from Messiah; Pearsall’s In dulci jubilo; Handel’s Zadok the Priest; and Willcocks’ I saw three ships. At the Christmas Carol Singalong, best-loved Christmas songs to be performed include: Jingle Bells; Frosty the Snowman; Merry Christmas Everybody; Let it Snow; Santa Claus is Coming to Town; Merry Christmas Everyone; I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day and Sleigh Ride.
Audiences will be invited to sing along heartily to some festive favourites such as Good King Wenceslas, Once in Royal David’s City and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, to name a few.
Paul Southern, Managing Director of Central Hall Westminster, comments: “These spectacular Christmas performances by Raymond Gubbay are the culmination of a fantastic year at our venue for all kinds of high-profile concerts. Our Great Hall provides the perfect backdrop and atmosphere for these sparkling events. We are so delighted to be hosting these performances for the very first time this year and for a repeat performance in 2019. We are really looking forward to welcoming event professionals and the public alike to some very festive evenings indeed.”
For information on how to book the festive performances at Central Hall Westminster, visit our public events web-page.
