Westminster Abbey has announced a series of Christmas events that will be taking place in December 2023.
Handel’s Messiah
The Choir of Westminster Abbey and leading period-instrument orchestra Academy of Ancient Music herald the start of the Christmas season with a performance of Handel’s most famous oratorio.
A performance of Messiah in Westminster Abbey is always a special occasion thanks to the composer’s unique association with the building. A London resident for over 40 years, Handel wrote some of his most celebrated music for performance in the Abbey and is buried in Poets’ Corner, where he is immortalised in an imposing life-size statue by Louis-François Roubiliac. Beside the figure of the composer is a musical score showing a fragment of the Messiah aria ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’.
The Choir of Westminster Abbey is renowned worldwide as one of the finest ensembles of its type, its repertoire extending from plainsong and Renaissance polyphony to 20th century masterpieces and new commissions. In addition to singing the daily services, as it has done since the 14th century, the Choir plays a central role in the many royal and state occasions which are held in the Abbey, most recently the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Christmas Concert
Drawing inspiration from the traditional Festival of Lessons and Carols, the Choir of Westminster Abbey presents an enticing Christmas programme featuring festive choral works interspersed with much-loved carols and seasonal readings telling the story of the Nativity. The centrepiece of the programme is Benjamin Britten’s magical Ceremony of Carols for treble voices and harp, performed by the Abbey Choristers with harpist Anne Denholm.
The Choir of Westminster Abbey is renowned worldwide as one of the finest ensembles of its type, its repertoire extending from plainsong and Renaissance polyphony to 20th century masterpieces and new commissions. In addition to singing the daily services, as it has done since the 14th century, the Choir plays a central role in the many royal and state occasions which are held in the Abbey, most recently the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Click here to reserve your tickets for the upcoming Christmas events at Westminster Abbey.
