7 th Great Year: Following the popular success of Christmas Concerts by candlelight in Durham Cathedral, Hexham Abbey and some of the north’s finest churches, AM Live has pleasure in announcing its Christmas Candlelit Concert Tour, 2007. The English Philharmonic Ensemble and the The Singers (director: Donald Halliday) conducted by David Haslam will be appearing at St John the Evangilist, Middlesbrough, Hexham Abbey, St Cuthbert’s Church, Darlington, St. Cuthbert’s Church, Carlisle, St. George’s Church, Jesmond,, and the magnificent Beverley Minster.

Seasonal warmth: A special atmosphere pervades these friendly concerts with the twinkling magic of candlelight, the glorious music and the heightened intimacy between musicians and audience, not least during the enjoyment of mulled wine and mince pies at the interval.

Our programme this year begins with Locatelli’s lovely “Christmas Concerto” followed by the celebratory sound of the trumpet in Handel’s brilliant ‘’Trumpet Suite”. Three special pieces for unaccompanied choir precede a bracing performance of “Winter” from Vivaldi’s “The Seasons” to conclude the first half. Continuing after the interval, Choir and Orchestra join together in two rousing choruses from Vivaldi’s wonderful “Gloria 588” and his ‘‘Magnificat inG min’’ to open the second half. The strings are then joined by oboist Phillip Cull in a performance of Albinoni’s famous ‘‘oboe concerto’’. The Candlelit Concert then concludes as always with Carols for choir, audience and orchestra, plus a Christmas selection of favourite music from Handel’s uplifting masterpiece ‘‘The Messiah’’.