The choir’s new CD, released on 6 March, presents twentieth-century sacred works by English composers, including the première recording of the final major piece completed by Kenneth Leighton – Missa Christi – and music by Rebecca Clarke, Gustav and Imogen Holst, and anthems (some again presented here for the first time on disc) by Harold Darke, the anniversary of whose death falls this year.

This concert presents a programme of music from the choir’s new CD, as well as the opportunity to purchase a physical copy of the disc in the splendour of the baroque chapel.

Choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford
Owen Rees director

Experience an evening of Baroque splendour in the atmospheric setting of the University Church, Oxford, as the Choir of The Queen’s College Oxford is joined by the world-famous Academy of Ancient Music. The programme features Handel’s four Coronation Anthems, composed for the coronation of George II in 1727 and including the iconic Zadok the Priest, music that combines ceremonial grandeur with thrilling choral drama. Alongside them, Vivaldi’s much-loved Gloria brings contrast and vitality, moving from exuberant brilliance to moments of lyrical repose. Performed on period instruments and with the renowned choral excellence of Queen's Choir, this concert promises colour, energy and expressive power.

This concert is being professionally video recorded for later digital release. If you wish to minimise your potential to appear on camera, then please purchase a ticket in the South Aisle, or the North or South Galleries.

Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford
Academy of Ancient Music
Owen Rees director

The ever-popular Carols from Queen's returns this year on the 7th and 21st December. A staple in the Oxford musical calendar, The Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford presents a varied programme of glorious Christmas music combining old favourites with more recent arrangements. The concert reflects the shifting moods of the period from Advent to Epiphany, inviting personal reflection on the transformation of darkness into light of the Incarnation.

A glass of mulled wine or soft drink served in Queen’s beautiful Baroque Hall is included within the ticket price.

Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford
Owen Rees director

Tickets: £25 main chapel (£5 students)

Christmas from Queen’s is a festive programme of 20th and 21st-century works showcasing composers connected to the College, including Herbert Howells’s Three Carol-Anthems, Kenneth Leighton’s Three Carols, and selections from David Bednall’s dramatic and evocative Christmas cantata Welcome all Wonders, written for the choir in 2011. The programme will also include other Christmas music recorded by the choir, by Cecilia McDowall, Dobrinka Tabakova, and Imogen Holst.

Programme Highlights

Out of your sleep Imogen Holst

Three Carols, Op. 25 Kenneth Leighton

In the Bleak Midwinter Harold Darke

Three Carol-Anthems Herbert Howells

Good-will to men, and peace on earth Dobrinka Tabakova

Excerpts from Welcome all Wonders: A Christmas Cantata David Bednall

This have I done for my true love Gustav Holst

Now may we singen Cecilia McDowall

Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford
Owen Rees director

Tickets (£15 / £20) can be booked online direct from the venue. Booking fees apply; helpline: 020 7222 1061.

The ever-popular Carols from Queen's returns this year on the 7th and 21st December. A staple in the Oxford musical calendar, The Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford presents a varied programme of glorious Christmas music combining old favourites with more recent arrangements. The concert reflects the shifting moods of the period from Advent to Epiphany, inviting personal reflection on the transformation of darkness into light of the Incarnation.

A glass of mulled wine or soft drink served in Queen’s beautiful Baroque Hall is included within the ticket price.

Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford
Owen Rees director

Tickets: £25 main chapel (£5 students)

Handel's Messiah lies at the very heart of Christmas musical festivities. The oratorio follows Christ's life from the prophecies of the Old Testament through to his birth, passion and resurrection, and the final conquest of sin with the promise of eternal life. Handel uses his consummate skill as an opera composer to inject vivid colour and intense drama into his score. First heard in 1741, it remains just as popular today as it did in Dublin nearly 300 years ago. Arias of mesmerising beauty and triumphant courage sit alongside virtuoso choruses of stunning power - including the famous 'Hallelujah Chorus'.

This concert continues the acclaimed collaboration between the Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford and the world famous Academy of Ancient Music, a combination of the finest choral singing and an orchestra with a worldwide reputation for excellence in baroque and classical music.  Previous performances of Messiah in this collaboration, also with star-studded line-ups of soloists, have sold out months before the event and early booking is advised. 

Choir and orchestra are conducted by Owen Rees, Director of Music at The Queen's College, hailed as 'one of the most energetic and persuasive voices’ in this field.

Julia Doyle  soprano
Esther Lay  mezzo-soprano
Guy Cutting  tenor
James Atkinson baritone

Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford
Academy of Ancient Music
Owen Rees  director