Sue Ryder is a national charity that is passionate about giving people the care they want. They have 13 care centres across the UK providing care and support for people with palliative, long-term and end of life needs. Locally, they operate the Duchess of Kent Hospice and Nettlebed Hospice. Many of us will know people who have had the benefit of their care. In October last year, Louise was amazed and proud to be named Sue Ryder’s Creative Woman of the Year in a fabulous award ceremony at the Madejski Hotel. She was nominated for the award for her work in choral music with Tamesis and other choirs. As a result of the award, we wanted to give something back to the charity, so in April we recorded our third choral album, ‘Christmas’, with £3 from every CD sold going directly to Sue Ryder. Much of this evening’s programme is on the CD, so if you like what you hear, you can snap up your copies in the interval or at the end of the concert: it’s the perfect musical accompaniment to your Christmas preparations and a super festive present for tricky recipients!

Christmas CD Audio Clips

Programme (PDF)

• Audience carol – Joy to the world – Lowell Mason/Isaac Watts, arr. John Rutter
• Star Carol – John Rutter
• Silent Night – Franz Gruber
• A child is born in Bethlehem – Malcolm Archer
• Scots Nativity – Alan Bullard
• I saw three ships – John Rutter
• Audience carol – In the bleak mid-winter – Christina Rosetti/Gustav Holst
• On this day, earth shall ring  – H C Stewart
• For him all stars have shone  – Bob Chilcott
• O holy night – Adolphe Adam
• Jesus Child – John Rutter
• Audience carol – See amid the winter’s snow – Goss, arr. Willcocks
• Audience carol – O little town of Bethlehem – Brooks, arr. R Vaughan Williams/Thomas Armstrong
• A Musicological Journey through the Twelve Days of Christmas – Craig Courtney
  1. A partridge from 6th century Rome
  2. Two turtle doves from 15th century France
  3. Three French hens from 16th century Italy
  4. Four calling birds from 17th century Italy
  5. Five gold rings from 18th century Germany
  6. Six geese-a-laying from 18th century Austria
  7. Seven swans-a-swimming from 19th century France
  8. Eight maids-a-milking from 19th century Germany
  9. Nine ladies dancing from 19th century Austria
  10. Ten lords-a-leaping from 19th century Italy
  11. Eleven pipers piping from 19th century Russia
  12. Twelve drummers drumming from 19th century
  United States of America
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Martin/Blane arr. Peter Gritton
• Audience carol – It came upon the midnight clear – Sears/Sullivan arr. Willcocks
• White Christmas – Berlin arr. Rathbone
• Winter Wonderland – Smith/Bernard arr. Gritton
• The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire) – Torme/Wells arr. Kirby Shaw
• King John’s Christmas – Milne/Daryl Runswick
• Audience carol – O come, all ye faithful – Wade arr. Willcocks