A Ceremony of Carols by Britten, Tavener & Pärt

This December, in the awe-inspiring setting of Southwark Cathedral, Red Events presents a luminous Christmas programme centred on Benjamin Britten’s ‘A Ceremony of Carols’.

Written in 1942 during Britten’s sea voyage from the USA to England and premiered at Wigmore Hall in 1943, the cycle of 12 short movements for voices and harp sets ancient English and Latin texts with disarming clarity and brilliance. By turns mystical, playful and radiant, it has become one of the most beloved works of the Christmas season. In 2023, the musical world marked the 80th anniversary of this iconic masterpiece.

This special London performance enriches Britten’s masterpiece with sacred reflections by Sir John Tavener and Arvo Pärt — voices of our own time who, like Britten, have sought the intersection of spirituality and sound. Soprano Patricia Rozario OBE, a long-time muse of Taverner, will offer personal insight into his music, alongside her role as narrator and soloist.

Completing the programme, seasonal works by Ralph Allwood and other masters of English song invite audiences into the intimacy of a truly English Christmas.

The concert also features harpist Eleanor Medcalf, the Ralph Allwood Singers, and will be conducted by Ralph Allwood MBE DMus, one of the UK’s leading choral directors. Alongside Patricia Rozario, other distinguished opera soloists will bring their voices to this seasonal programme, offering expressive highlights and individual arias that enrich the evening’s texture.

Completing the programme, seasonal works by Ralph Allwood and other masters of English song invite audiences into the intimacy of a truly English Christmas. Join us for an unforgettable celebration of Advent and Christmas in the grandeur of Southwark Cathedral.

PERFORMERS:
Ralph Allwood MBE DMus (Conductor)
For 26 years, Director of Music at Eton College, Ralph Allwood, is one of the UK’s most celebrated choral directors, known for his transformative work with generations of singers. He is the founder of the Rodolfus Choral Courses and co-founder of the Junior Choral Courses, with over 14,000 alumni worldwide. Ralph has conducted more than 50 broadcasts for BBC Radio 3, founded the Rodolfus Choir (with over 22 acclaimed recordings), and led choirs in performances from Cambridge to Shanghai. His contributions to music and worship were recognised with the Thomas Cranmer Award, presented by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2017. Web: ralphallwood.com

Irina Lyakhovskaya (piano)
A highly regarded pianist performing as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist. She has given many performances at leading international venues including the Southbank Centre, Wigmore Hall, Symphony Hall, Cadogan Hall, Kings Place and St John’s Smith Square, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Smetana Hall and Porto Coliseum and at concert clubs and festivals across the UK. In 2016 – 2020 she was an Artist in Residence at Eastbourne Arts Centre where she performed the complete Beethoven piano sonatas in a cycle of 8 concerts.
As a concerto soloist, she has performed works by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Grieg, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Skryabin and Rachmaninov. She lives in London and is a faculty member at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Born in St Petersburg, she studied with Alexander Sandler at the St Petersburg Conservatoire and with John Bingham in London.

Eleanor Medcalf (Harp)
Harpist Eleanor Medcalf is a versatile solo, chamber and orchestral musician who has performed in major venues across the UK, including the Royal Albert Hall, Snape Maltings, Symphony Hall Birmingham and the Bridgewater Hall, under conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, John Wilson and Sian Edwards. A former member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, she performed as Principal Harpist under Marin Alsop in Bernstein’s Mass at the Royal Festival Hall.

Eleanor graduated with First-Class Honours in Classics from Queens’ College, Cambridge, where she was a Choral Scholar and a prize-winner in the Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. She is currently studying for her Master’s in harp performance at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Imogen Barford, supported by the Guildhall Award.

Patricia Rosario OBE (Narrator, Soprano)
Patricia Rozario OBE is an internationally acclaimed soprano whose career spans opera, concert, recital and recording. After training at the Guildhall School of Music, she has sung at major opera houses and festivals across Europe, the United States and Asia, and has built an especially strong reputation as an interpreter of twentieth-century and contemporary repertoire.

She worked closely with Sir John Tavener for over three decades, premiering many of his vocal works written especially for her unique voice. Her collaboration with Benjamin Britten included performances at the Aldeburgh Festival, where she sang some of his most distinctive soprano parts. Patricia’s artistry, dramatic range and commitment to new music have made her one of Britain’s most distinguished performers, combining deep interpretative insight with a career dedicated to both the classical canon and groundbreaking modern composition.
 
Anezka Diamant (solo)
Aneska Diament, a French-Canadian soprano, is in her first year of a Master’s at the Royal College of Music in London with Patricia Rozario and vocal coach Caroline Dowdle. She is a recipient of an RCM Award, as well as scholarships from the Sandra and Alain Bouchard Foundation, the Molson Scholarship for Francophones from LGAC, and the Aida Fund from Jeunesses Musicales Canada. She has portrayed Hebé (Les Indes Galantes), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), and The Wife (The Juniper Tree). Her next roles are Cricket and Frantik, as well as the ensembles for the production of The Cunning Little Vixen this November at the Royal College of Music. She was a soloist in the premiere of Geneviève Ackerman’s Requiem pour Empédocle at the Maison Symphonique de Montréal.

Jessica Lawley (solo)
Jessica Lawley is a Soprano from Derbyshire under the tutelage of Anne Mason. She recently graduated from the David Seligman Opera School at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and completed her Undergraduate and Masters degrees at the Royal College of Music. She is also a Samling Artist.

Jessica performed Monica in The Medium (Menotti) as well as Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) while at RWCMD. In 2024, Jessica played First Bridesmaid and covered Barbarina in Garsington Opera’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) as an Alvarez Young Artist. Other roles include Donna Ximena (Don Giovanni Tenorio - Gazzaniga), Charity Taylor (Barnum’s Bird - Libby Larsen) and Frou-Frou (Die Lustige Witwe - Lehár) at RCM.

Jessica’s concert work as soprano soloist includes Elijah (Mendelssohn), Ein Deutsches Requiem (Brahms), C Minor Mass (Mozart), Requiem (Mozart), Serenade to Music (Vaughan Williams) and Stabat Mater (Pergolesi).

The Ralph Allwood Singers (Choir)
Formed especially for this performance, The Ralph Allwood Singers сhoir brings together highly accomplished professional singers, many of whom are members of leading UK ensembles and internationally award-winning choirs. Known for their precision, blend, and expressive power, they embody the very best of the British choral tradition.

PROGRAMME
Clergy Welcome: Canon Precentor Kathryn Fleming
First Half
• Arvo Pärt – Peace Upon You, Jerusalem (Choir, unaccompanied)
• Vocal & Instrumental Section:
• Tavener – The Child Lived (voice & cello)
• Tavener – Schuon Lieder No. 3 (voice & piano)
• Tavener – Mini Song Cycle for Gina (voice & piano)
• Tavener – Akhmatova Songs No. 3 (voice & cello)
• Britten – On This Island (selected songs: Now the Leaves are Falling Fast, Seascape, Nocturne)
Interval: 20 minutes
Second Half
• Britten – Ceremony of Carols – Choir & Harp
• Adolphe Adam – O Holy Night – Choir with piano
• Christmas Carols (Encore)
Total Estimated Duration: 75–85 minutes (excluding interval)
Start Time: 19:00