E13. Aurora Nova: a Marian Christmas

Friends' Booking from 10 Aug 2026. General Booking from 24 Aug 2026.Aurora Nova: Patrick Craig conductor Sapphire Armitage, Lisa Beckley, Nicola Corbishley, Rachel Elliott, Rebecca Outram soprano Amy Blythe, Anna Crookes, Carris Jones, Caroline Trevor alto Gabriella Dell'Olio harpBenjamin Britten A Ceremony of Carols; Sweet was the song; In the Bleak MidwinterFranz Biebl Ave MariaMaurice Durufle Tota pulchra esGiovanni da Palestrina Alma Redemptoris MaterJoanna Forbes L'Estrange The Christmas Rose (Festival commission)Patrick Hadley I sing of a maidenCecilia McDowall Ave MariaFrancisco Guerrero Virgo prudentissimaKerensa Briggs Coventry CarolGustav Holst Ave Maria
Britten's Ceremony of Carols - the main work in this programme - rejoices in the coming of Christmas and especially the Virgin Mary's centrality within the Nativity story. Her essential role had been celebrated by composers for many centuries even before the intense focus on it in medieval devotion, which Britten's use of texts from the Middle Ages reflects. And the tradition shows no signs of going away, as today's composers enjoy making fruitful use of such long-established and familiar language.
As part of the programme we're very pleased to have been able to commission a new carol by Joanna Forbes L'Estrange. The rose is a long-established symbol for Mary and the hope that the birth of Jesus brought to the world is mirrored by the certainty of new birth again in nature through the words of Joanna's great-grandfather's poem.Aurora Nova was founded by Patrick Craig in 1996 and their individual voices make up the top lines of many of this country's outstanding choral groups including the Tallis Scholars, The Sixteen, the Gabrieli Consort, the Kings Consort and the BBC Singers. The year after their foundation, the ensemble became the first all-female professional choir to lead Sunday services at St Paul's Cathedral and they have led many more services since then in a repertoire encompassing a vast array of sacred music. The group has always championed new music and has commissioned a dozen new works, including pieces by Dobrinka Tabakova, Elizabeth Winters, Philip Cooke, Katherine Dienes, Bill Ives and Joanna Marsh.Auroranovachoir.ComMore information and events on our website