Come and Sing Nine Lessons and Carols, Oxford 14th December 2024

By popular demand, we return to Balliol College, Oxford, for this year’s Come and Sing Nine Lessons and Carols Day.

Join us for a joyful day of caroling, including Christmas lunch in the Great Hall of Balliol College.

Sadly, many churches no longer hold a traditional service of lessons and carols and of those that do, many do not have the resources to undertake more challenging music. We’re providing you with the chance to have a completely traditional service, with the chance to sing all your old favourites, plus some which you might otherwise never get to sing.

We will, of course, be including such stalwarts as Once in Royal David’s City, Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, with descants to raise the roof. In addition to these we have chosen five other pieces, after consultation with members of our They Shall Laugh & Sing Facebook Group. They will be O Holy Night in the wonderful John Rutter arrangement, Elizabeth Poston’s gorgeous setting of Jesus Christ The Apple Tree, Sally Beamish’s charming carol In The Stillness, John Gardner’s upbeat setting of The Holly And The Ivy, and John Tavener’s haunting setting of The Lamb.

For the last three years this event has delighted singers and, for many people, this IS Christmas.

This is the perfect chance to get together with like minded people, in a gorgeous historic setting, to really celebrate Christmas.

We will begin at 11.00am and will work through until a lunch break at 1.00pm. During the break we go to the wonderful Great Hall of the College to enjoy a sumptuous Christmas lunch, which includes a glass of wine (or non-alcoholic alternative). We will sing again, with a refreshment break duing the afternoon, until about 5.30pm. We will then enjoy a full service of lessons and carols at 6.00pm. In the past this has alway proved to be an uplifting and moving event for everyone present.

This event has sold very quickly each year, so please, think ahead and get your place booked to avoid disappointment.

We have booked this event as close to Christmas as we were able to in order to get that “Christmassy” feel, but we have made it a Saturday event, so that people don’t find themselves conflicted with their own church services

There will be no dress code but Christmas jumpers help to make the day feel festive. Wear whatever you are warm and comfortable in.

Balliol College Chapel is a perfect setting for this event, especially as all the seats face towards the middle, so we really feel that we are singing together. The Great Hall, with its oak panelling and portraits of the great and the good of the college, is the perfect place for lunch, and, just outside the entrance to the college, you will find the beautiful, traditional Christmas market. There is nothing that will get you into the Christmas spirit like this day.

In our usual style, we will be helping you to improve your vocal technique and ensuring that you truly bring the pieces to life. During our events we want to do more than just teach you to sing the notes correctly, in tune and with the dynamics written on the page. We want to teach you to fully experience the music and to feel it as if it’s a personal expression of you. We want you to leave feeling absolutely joyful and full of the spirit of Christmas. You will not experience another “Come and Sing Day” like this.

The fee for the day is £95.00 (£50.00 Deposit) which includes the musical training, the sheet music, which you may keep, and your lunch and tea/coffee and biscuits in the afternoon break. The deposit is non-refundable. The full fee is payable one month before the event and, after that point the full fee shall be payable in the event of cancellation. See terms and conditions.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

You could get a 10% discount on this event