Sunderland Symphony Orchestra to raise the roof at festive spectacular

The family concert will also feature St Anthony’s Senior Choir when it takes place at West Park Church in Stockton Road, Sunderland city centre, at 4pm on Saturday, December 14.

Sunderland Symphony Orchestra will be performing favourite carols for all to join in with; Ave Verum Corpus by Mozart; a choral programme to include Little Donkey by Eric Boswell; Christmas Calypso by Stephen Bulla; Anatoly Lyadov’s Christmas Carol and Cradle Song; Irving Berlin’s White Christmas; Anderson’s Sleigh Ride; and completing the concert, Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

St Anthony’s Girls’ Catholic Academy’s Senior Choir comprise students from Year 10 to Year 13 and they will also be entertaining concert-goers.

They rehearse weekly in school and enjoy performing everything from sacred motets to pop and jazz standards.

They regularly perform to the community and take part in local and national competitions, being named Best Secondary Choir in the City Sings competition last year, and in 2017 they reached the national MFY festival where they performed in Birmingham Symphony Hall.

They tour Europe annually, and in recent years have performed in Paris, Amsterdam and Salzburg, as well as leading Evensong in St Paul’s Cathedral.

After their busy Christmas period, the choir are looking forward to taking part in North East Festival of Youth Choirs at Durham Cathedral and the regional Music for Youth festival at the Sage Gateshead. Many of the members are then involved in our academy production of School of Rock in February 2020.

*Tickets for the SSO Christmas concert are available now from Eventbrite via www.sunderlandso.org.uk. General Admission: £5; Students and Under 16-year-olds: £3.

SSO were recently gifted instruments by scientific engineer and orchestral instrument maker Arthur Ridler.

Amongst his gifts to the orchestra were two violas. Now the orchestra has put out a call for Viola Players of Grade 5 standard upwards to take up the opportunity of playing these instruments on loan with Sunderland Symphony Orchestra.

Viola Players should get in touch through the orchestra’s website at www.sunderlandso.org.uk.