By Dr Christopher McElroy Director of Music, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

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A warm and joyful Advent and Christmas season awaits you at the Metropolitan Cathedral! The start of the new liturgical year and the anticipation of the Christ Child’s coming is interwoven with a series of carol services and concerts throughout December.

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The Advent Sequence on Sunday 30 November at 5:00pm prepares us for the Advent journey, with the Cathedral Choir and clergy offering a sequence of music and readings.

 

On Sunday 7 December at 3:00pm, the Cathedral Choir, joined by members of the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra, will perform Bach & Handel. The programme will feature Bach’s Cantata 140, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, and Part I selections from Handel’s beloved Messiah.

 

The popular A Celebration of Christmas returns on Saturday 13 December at 7:00pm. This magical night promises Christmas carols and seasonal favourites, featuring The Metropolitan Cathedral Choir & Youth Choir, the Knowsley & Widnes Catholic Children’s Choirs and the Hope Street Consort. Tickets are £10 each or £18 for a family ticket, available online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/metcathedral.

 

The following day, Sunday 14 December at 3:00pm, brings a performance of Britten & Saint-Saëns. The cathedral choristers sing Benjamin Britten’s famous carol sequence, accompanied by harpist Elizabeth McNulty, followed by a rare performance of Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio.

 

The festive season culminates with the Festival Carol Service and Messiaen’s La Nativité du Seigneur on Sunday 21 December at 5:00pm. Join the choir and clergy for a mix of seasonal music, readings, and congregational carols. Immediately following the service, there will be a performance of Olivier Messiaen’s monumental organ work, La Nativité du Seigneur, played by the Cathedral Organist Richard Lea.

 

We at the Cathedral Music Department wish each and every one of you a blessed and peaceful Christmas.

 

Gloria in excelsis Deo!