York Early Music Christmas Festival
Friday 5 December – Sunday 14 December
Event 1
APOLLO’S CABINET
Friday 5 December 7.00pm – 8.15pm
£23.00 (£21 concessions | £10.00 under 35)
Teresa Wrann recorders
Jonatan Bougt theorbo, baroque guitar
David Lopez Ibanez violin
Harry Buckoke viola da gamba
Thomas Pickering harpsichord, recorder, traverso
Daniel Watt percussion
Apollo’s Cabinet Jukebox Menu – Christmas Edition
Following their prize-winning successes over the past year, and the launch of their debut album, Apollo’s Cabinet returns to the NCEM stage for what promises to be an evening of pure entertainment and joy.
Forget stuffy concerts with velvet seats and polite applause. Apollo’s Jukebox takes you back to the 18th-century music rooms where tunes weren’t just played — they were ordered.
Back then, there was no unlimited streaming or public concert halls where anyone could pick what they wanted to hear. In the early 1700s Paris, Vienna, or Rome, unless you were royalty or a wealthy patron, new music was pretty much off limits. The idea that anyone, no matter their background, could choose the music was revolutionary — and it all started in Britain.
Forget concert formality — it’s about good music, great stories, and a proper pint. A musical menu of Baroque delights, bawdy ballads, toe-tapping dances & streetwise scandals
And the best part? The audience call the shots.
“Baroque meets Bridgerton” Göttinger Tagblatt
“spirited anthology with plenty of freewheeling spirit” The Guardian
Event 2
Saturday 6 December 10.15am registration and coffee
Bedern Hall, Bedern
£25 | U35 £15
Join us for a day of laughter and learning with Rory McCleery, Artistic Director of The Marian Consort.
Rory will be our guide for a journey into music by members of the Bach family, Schutz and Palestrina, exploring the web of connections that exist across centuries and national borders, and reflecting his concert later on in the festival.
Our workshop is open to all and is for SATB singers, although some prior choral experience and a familiarity with reading sheet music is recommended. Friends & family are invited to an informal concert performance at 4pm.
Music will be available online from October’
“Rory McCleery: a countertenor and academic as well as conductor… combining boyish geniality with quite startling erudition” The Sunday Times
Event 3
HELEN CHARLSTON & SHOLTO KYNOCH: A LYRICAL INTERLUDE
Saturday 6 December 12.30pm-c1.30pm
£25 (concessions £23 | Under 35 £10)
The award-winning Helen charlston invites us to take a journey into the 18th century with music by Fanny Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn and Carl Loewe leading us to Robert Schumann’s extraordinary song-cycle Dichterliebe where the songs trace the poet’s experience of alling in love, of joy and pain. Explore in exquisite detail the themes of love, loss, longing and the power of meory and imaginaton in shaping one’s experience of love.
“Charlston’s voice is little short of miraculous… a true star.” Evening Standard
“Kynoch’s accompaniments are beautifully sensitive, flexible and transparent throughout.” Gramophone Magazine
helencharlston.com
sholtokynoch.com
Event 4
YORKSHIRE BACH CHOIR – HAYDN: THE CREATION
Saturday 6 December 2025 7.30pm – c.9.30pm
£35.00 (£32.00 concessions, £7.00 U35s)
Venue: Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York
Bethany Seymour soprano, Nicholas Mulroy tenor,
Frederick Long bass
with Yorkshire Baroque Soloists
Haydn’s masterpiece, The Creation, was premiered in 1798 to immediate acclaim, enjoying nearly 40 performances in his lifetime. Inspired by the musical ambition of Handel’s London oratorios, this three-part work vividly depicts the creation of the world (Parts 1 & 2) and Adam and Eve’s first, happy hours in the Garden of Eden (Part 3) as recounted in Genesis, the Book of Psalms, and Milton’s Paradise Lost. From its revolutionary ‘Representation of Chaos’ and the ensuing, electrifying arrival of light, the oratorio unfolds with boundless musical invention, painting vibrant sonic landscapes of land, sea, flora, celestial bodies, fauna, and ultimately, humankind. A landmark score of the 18th century, it showcases Haydn’s striking orchestration and unparalleled mastery of choral writing. Brimming with humanity and life-affirming joy, this work stands as a towering testament to the spirit of the Enlightenment.
For this performance, the Yorkshire Bach Choir is joined by three outstanding soloists and their regular, skilled collaborators, Yorkshire Baroque Soloists.
In association with York Early Music Christmas Festival and York Concerts
Event 5
CONTRAST AND CONTINUITY: FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE BAROQUE
Sunday 7 December 10.15am – c.11.15am
£12.50 Including coffee on arrival
From the Renaissance to the Baroque
Reflecting on the Marian Consort’s programme on Monday 8 Dec, John Bryan, Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Huddersfield explores the ‘Renaissance’ and ‘Baroque’ as contrasting, even opposing, musical styles. There are many new ideas in the music of the 17th and 18th centuries – particularly a love of drama – but the older concepts of beautifully evolving counterpoint and the influence of age-old plainsong never completely disappeared. Join us to hear how composers such as J. S. Bach paid tribute to their renaissance predecessors, keeping older styles alive while adding their own characteristic hallmarks.
Event 6
DOWLAND’S FOUNDRY
Sunday 7 December 2.00pm – c.3.00pm
£23.00 (£21.00 concessions | £8 under 35)
Venue: Bedern Hall
Daniel Thomson tenor
Sam Brown lute
Facets of Time
A dramatic lute-song performance based around one of the Renaissance’s central fascinations … with music by John Dowland, John Daniel, Alfonso Ferrabosco, Thomas Morley and Barry Mills, and words by William Shakespeare
Caught between the scientific and the superstitious, Elizabethan England was deeply fascinated – and often unsettled – by the figure of Old Time. Winged, withered, with scythe in hand, Time was for the Elizabethans a fearful, all-consuming figure, and a potent vehicle for many vital themes. In this programme of words and music, we encounter Time’s many forms: in sleep, in music, and death; as a playful challenge to stubborn lovers and as the ultimate test of true love; its nightmarish distortion at the hands of Macbeth, and its utter defeat by the enduring and unchanging Elizabeth I.
Founded in 2023 at Emma Kirkby’s kitchen table, Dowland’s Foundry is the child of a longstanding club for lute-songsters, Dowland Works. Members involved in this performance are award-winning tenor Daniel Thomson, widely known for his expressive text-based performance, and “Eric Clapton of the lute”, Sam Brown.
Look out for more information about Dowland’s Foundry through the NCEM’s Baroque around the Books project organised in association with York Explore Libraries
Event 7
CHIAROSCURO QUARTET & CONSONE QUARTET
Sunday 7 Deember 6.30pm-c8.30pm
£35 (concessions £33 | U35s £10)
Chiaroscuro Quartet
Alina Ibragimova, Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux violins
Emilie Hörnlund viola
Claire Thirion cello
Consone Quartet
Agata Daraškaite, Magdalena Loth-Hill violins
Elitsa Bogdanova viola
George Ross cello
Haydn String Quartet in G major Op 33 No 5
Beethoven String Quartet in D major Op 18 No 3
Mendelssohn Octet in E flat major Op 20
A rare opportunity to welcome these two award-winning ensembles back to the NCEM as they join together to play one of the 19th century’s most remarkable works – the Mendelssohn Octet. Written in 1825 when just 16 years of age, the piece is full of exuberance and joy, yet notable for both its maturity and Mendelssohn’s intimate understanding of the instruments.
“Ravishing sonic and intonational purity … akin to hearing this groundbreaking music for the very first time” The Strad
consonequartet.com
chiaroscuroquartet.com
The concert will be followed by a supper party for NCEM Patrons
If you would like to know more about how to join the Patrons, and support the work of the NCEM, please click here or contact support@ncem.co.uk
Event 8
THE MARIAN CONSORT WITH ENGLISH CORNETT & SACKBUT ENSEMBLE
Monday 8 December 6.30pm
Reserved seating: £35 (concessions £33 | U35s £10) including mince pies on arrival
Directed by Rory McCleery
Dominique Saulnier, Elspeth Piggott sopranos
Joy Sutcliffe, Sophie Overin altos
Will Wright, Daniel Lewis tenors
Jon Stainsby, Christopher Webb basses
Silas Wollston Organ
A celebration of Palestrina’s 500th anniversary would not be complete without looking at how hugely influential his music has been on subsequent generations, among them the towering figure JS Bach. As well as making his own performing edition of Palestrina’s Missa sine nomine, Bach also performed works by Palestrina’s Italian contemporaries from the anthology Florilegium portense with his choir at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, singing them so often that the books had to be replaced in 1729 as thy had been ‘sung to pieces’!
We hear these alongside festive motets by Palestrina and works from Heinrich Schütz’s seminal Geitliche Chormusik, which also wears its Italian influence prominently and is dedicated to the city of Leipzig and the musicians of the Thomanerchor.
“The performances are models of discretion and musical taste, every texture clear, every phrase beautifully shaped” The Guardian
Event 9
APOLLO5
Tuesday 9 December 6.30pm – c.7.45pm
Reserved seating: £35 (concessions £33 | U35s £10)
including mince pies on arrival
Clare Stewart, Penelope Appleyard sopranos
Thomas Mottershead, Joseph Taylor tenors
Augustus Perkins Ray bass
The Crimson Sun conjures up the wonder of winter’s changing landscape through the very best contemporary choral writing for the season – with a sprinkling of early music favourites by William Byrd, Guerrero and Handl. The programme illuminates the magical quality of dark winter nights whilst speaking of a time of rejoicing and celebrating with the sharing of fifts and through the miracle of birth, hailed with wonder and elation.
“exceptional cohesion and effortless style… faultless.” BBC Music Magazine
Event 10
LOWE ENSEMBLE
Promoted by the Lowe Ensemble and supported by Continuo
Friday 12 December 12.00pm – 1.00pm
£15.00 (£10 under 35)
Joseph Lowe, Gabriel Lowe violins
Xavier Lowe viol
Santiago Lowe cello
Myriam Lowe harpsichord, voice
Danny Murphy theorbo
Echoes of the Spanish Baroque
Our programme will feature works by Spanish composers as well as French, Italian, and English composers who were deeply influenced by Spanish culture and language. Some notable highlights include Handel’s rare and colourful profane Spanish cantata “No se emendará jamás” and Lully’s “Sé que me muero de amor” from ‘Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme’, which reflect the allure of the Spanish language and its poetic expressiveness. We are also thrilled to present the debut performance of our own arrangement of “Fandango, R. 146” by Antonio Soler.
This concert is part of Lowe Ensemble’s tour around the UK, supported by Continuo Foundation, and showcases an Iberian-Baroque inspired programme that explores the
Event 11
FIERI CONSORT & CAMERATA ØRESUND
Friday 12 December 6.15pm – 8.15pm
£28.00 (£26.00 concessions | £10.00 under 35)
Fieri Consort
Singers
Hannah Ely, Steph Dillon, Kieran White, Ben Rowarth
Camerata Øresund
Peter Spissky (Dir.), Tinne Albrechtsen, Ida Lorenzen, Alison Luthmers, Rastko Roknic, Hanna Loftsdottir, Joakim Peterson, Marcus Mohlin, Doyho Sol
From Church to Tavern: Christmas Cantatas by Christoph Graupner & English tavern songs
Graupner initially pipped Bach to the post of Kantor in Leipzig. Although well preserved, his works fell into obscurity when his heirs were stopped from publishing them. Overall he composed a staggering 1442 cantatas, most of which remain to be discovered.
Fieri Consort and Camerata Øresund will present three cantatas together as well as Graupner’s double violin concerto which easily stands up to its famous counterpart by J.S. Bach along with some festive jollity likely to have been heard in English taverns during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Fieri Consort: “Their glowing sound enhances performances of sheer delight” – Choir & Organ
“Groove comes as a natural state for Camerata Øresund. Each player reflected pure joy of playing, of good music, in good company” Teater Muusika Magazine (Estonia)
CARA DILLON
Upon A Winter's Night
Promoted by Hurricane Promotions
Saturday 13 December 7.30pm
£35.00
Cara Dillon, renowned for her ethereal voice and hailed as one of the finest in Irish folk, brings her beloved Christmas show, Upon A Winter’s Night, to the NCEM this Christmas. For many, her spellbinding show has become an essential, uplifting part of Christmas. The show offers a poignant escape from the hectic holiday season, blending ancient carols with modern songs and Celtic rhythms. With her exceptional band, Cara creates a transcendent musical experience that celebrates the mystery and quiet beauty of Christmas.
First launched alongside her chart-topping 2016 album, this moving event returns in 2025 with new songs added. Rooted in reverence and authenticity, Dillon’s performance honours ancient traditions and the true meaning of the festive season. A towering figure in Irish folk, Cara’s illustrious 30-year career includes acclaimed albums, working on Disney soundtracks, and music featuring in Derry Girls.
Event 13
JOGLARESA
Sunday 14 December 6.30pm – c.8.30pm
Reserved Seating: £30 (concessions £28 | Under 35 £10) including mince pies on arrival
Louise Anna Duggan percussion, dulcimer
Jeremy Avis voice, harp
Victoria Couper voice, harp
Elizabeth Flett fidel
Johnny Akerman percussion, dulcimer, fidel
Celebrate the Yuletide in the effervescent company of Joglaresa and chase out the chill with traditional caroles from across the UK – with many an oppportunity to join in the fun.
Joglaresa’s cleverly imaginative programming transcends the limits of what is often tought of as early music. Following a hiatus around lock down, we are delighted to welcome them back to the NCEM stage.
“Carnival-like exuberance… enjoyable and virtuosic” fRoots