After two sold out concerts in 2023, Vox Holloway return to St James’s with a programme looking ahead to Christmas. They sing two of Benjamin Britten’s early masterpieces A Ceremony of Carols and Rejoice in the Lamb, timeless works from 1943 which never lose their freshness.

Juxtaposed with the Britten are new pieces by Harvey Brough – settings of AA Milne poems. Now We Are ( ) Six is a companion piece to A Ceremony of Carols, for Tenors and Basses rather than Sopranos and Altos, using some motifs from the Britten to illuminate AA Milne’s childlike but hugely insightful poems. It includes Us Two – the first appearance of a character called Winnie the Pooh.

King John’s Christmas is a brand new setting (for SATB) of the beloved poem, the hilarious yet extraordinarily touching story of a king who has everything except his only true desire – a big, red india rubber ball.

With soloists

Eloise Irving Soprano

Faith Waddell Soprano

and

Jean Kelly, Harp

Michael Haslam, Organ

Directed by Harvey Brough

Running time, 2 hours with an interval.