Festive carols at Christ Church (From The Oxford Times)

Festive carols at Christ Church

3:45pm Wednesday 12th November 2008 in

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THE OXFORD Welsh Male Voice Choir and the choir from The Dragon School will be performing at a special musical evening, sponsored by The Oxford Times.

The Spirit of Christmas — an evening of music, festive carols and readings — is taking place in Christ Church on Wednesday, December 3, at 7.45 pm.

The event will rise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign and will be the first of 11 such evenings being hosted by the MDC in cathedrals across the country.

In Christ Church the evening will begin with a candlelit programme, with the fist candle being lit by a special young guest.

The two celebrated Oxford choirs will perform a festive programme of old and new Christmas favourites, with traditional readings from some well known friends of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

Tickets are priced from £15 to £12. But ‘gold’ tickets are available at £25, which includes a post concert reception in the cathedral.

Tickets can be obtained by calling 01452 507106. Alternatively, booking forms can be downloaded here SoX_entryform.pdf.

The Oxford Times is also giving away five free pairs of VIP tickets. They will go to readers who send in the best reasons for wanting to attend. Entries should arrive by Friday, November 28. Either email derek.holmes@oxfordtimes.co.uk or write to The Editor, The Oxford Times, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0EJ.

Caroline Kehoe, regional fundraising manager for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said: “The campaign is coming into it 50th year as a charity.

“Our links with Oxford are now well established through the long-running Town and Gown Fun Run and the research we fund at the Oxford Muscle Centre based in the John Radcliffe Hospital.

“This is our first ever Spirit of Christmas to be held in Oxford and we’re honoured to hold it in the stunning surrounds of Christ Church, and with The Dragon School Choir and Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir’s participation it is ensured that this will be a night to remember.”

For the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir it will be a memorable way of rounding off a year that has seen them celebrate their 80th anniversary. The choir was founded by young men who made their way to Oxford from the Welsh valleys during the depression looking for work. Many ended up working at the Morris Motors car factory, where they formed a small group of singers.

It has grown into a 45-strong choir, which today holds concerts in support of local and national charities and organisations.

The choir’s musical director Emily Stamoulis is a well-known figure on the Oxford music scene.

She studied music at Magdalen College, and regularly works with the City of Oxford Orchestra as orchestra manager.

The roots of the Dragon choir go back even further, with the North Oxford school founded in 1877.

The Dragon School is one of the largest preparatory schools in the country and its choir performs a wide range of sacred and secular music, both in and out of school. They have performed to The Prince of Wales and undertaken tours of Tuscany and Belgium.